Studies of the welfare state have formed an important part of public policy research in the USA since World War II. This volume examines and reconsiders the scope of social welfare transfers, how they are delivered, and whom they benefit.

"A thorough, sophisticated account of the transformation of the welfare state in the United States. The Enabling State is the most mature effort available, and should prove useful both to policymakers and students of human services and political economics. In an area strewn with ideology, the Gilberts have succeeded in offering a sober assessment of how the welfare state has changed dramatically in the twentieth century, especially in the past few decades...a first-rate understanding of the intricacies of modern welfare capitalism...a model of excellent social science research."--Society "[An] excellent book. It puts the American Welfare State in perspective as a public-private venture as well as addressing the complexity of the American Welfare State and community compared to its European counterparts."--David A. Hardcastle, University of Maryland, Baltimore "A thorough, sophisticated account of the transformation of the welfare state in the United States. The Enabling State is the most mature effort available, and should prove useful both to policymakers and students of human services and political economics. In an area strewn with ideology, the Gilberts have succeeded in offering a sober assessment of how the welfare state has changed dramatically in the twentieth century, especially in the past few decades...a first-rate understanding of the intricacies of modern welfare capitalism...a model of excellent social science research."--Society "[An] excellent book. It puts the American Welfare State in perspective as a public-private venture as well as addressing the complexity of the American Welfare State and community compared to its European counterparts."--David A. Hardcastle, University of Maryland, Baltimore