ABSTRACT
The principal American device for dealing with income inequality has become "welfare," or more particularly the program of Aid to Families with Dependent Children. A useful review of the status of the welfare program and income support programs generally can be found in the annual Brookings Institution's reviews of the federal budget; an example Is Charles A. Schuitze et al., Setting National Priorities: The 1973 Budget. In addition to changes in the family structure and the racial composition of the program, perhaps the most dramatic change is that welfare mothers are increasingly regarded as capable of being employed. Administrative and political aspects of the welfare crisis are analyzed in Gilbert Steiner, The State of Welfare. Three main strategies have been used to limit welfare: eligibility as deterrence, social service as rehabilitation and opportunity, and training and income incentives as preparation for work.
