Losing Ground

Abstract: John Kennedy aimed to improve welfare programs by promoting self-sufficiency, moving away from merely providing cash to support poor families. As poverty became a focus, the concept of systemic issues gained attention, showing that poverty was not just a personal failure. Despite some progress in programs, many initiatives struggled to make a lasting impact. The social policies initiated in the 1960s created incentives that sometimes hindered personal responsibility and motivated negative choices, impacting areas like crime, education, and family structures. Effective reforms are needed to promote genuine opportunities for all.

Book Summary

Chapter Summaries:

PART I A Generous Revolution

1 The Kennedy Transition

2 “The System Is to Blame”

3 Implementing the Elite Wisdom

PART II Being Poor, Being Black: 1950–1980

4 Poverty

5 Employment

6 Wages and Occupations

7 Education

8 Crime

9 The Family

10 The View from 1966

PART III Interpreting the Data

11 The Social Scientists and the Great Experiment

12 Incentives to Fail I: Maximizing Short-Term Gains

13 Incentives to Fail II: Crime and Education

14 The Destruction of Status Rewards

PART IV Rethinking Social Policy

15 What Do We Want to Accomplish?

16 The Constraints on Helping

17 Choosing a Future