Who Cares

Christopher Howard is the Pamela C. Harriman Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William and Mary, where he has worked since 1993. He specializes in the history and politics of US social policy. Howard is the author of three books and co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Social Policy; he has also written numerous journal articles and book chapters. He is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance and the Scholars Strategy Network. He has won a campus-wide teaching award and an Outstanding Faculty Award from the state of Virginia. Chris was a History major at Duke University and earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from MIT.

Who Cares is a fresh, informative look at the nature of the American welfare state: why do we care about some needs more than others? What's the actual level of protection afforded, and for whom? What do key actors (the public, parties and politicians, unions, and business organizations) have to say? Will the gaps exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic spur a reset, or not? Chris Howard wields his stunningly clear prose to examine both the usual policy areas (income, healthcare, food) and the often-overlooked (housing, child- and elder-care). I can't wait for the conversations this thoughtful book will prompt.

• AcknowledgementsIntroduction WHAT WE SAY1. General Public2. Business and Labor3. Churches and Other Charities4. Public Officials WHAT WE DO5. Income6. Food7. Housing8. Medical Care9. Daily CareConclusion Postscript: The Social Safety Net and the Pandemic NotesBibliographyIndex