USIA, U.S. Society and Values, January 1997

U.S. Society & Values

Electronic Journals of the U.S. Information Agency, Vol. 1, No. 20, January 1997

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE UNITED STATES

FOCUS

President Clinton sets forth his vision of how individuals, families, the private sector, and government should approach major social issues as the world prepares to enter a new century.

WELFARE REFORM: THE ACT

Highlights of The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 the welfare reform bill passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Clinton.

WELFARE REFORM: WE MUST ALL ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY

In this article, Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services discusses the 1996 legislation, underscoring the partnerships among all levels of government and between the public and private sectors, upon which the success of welfare reform hinges.

HEALTH CARE, CHILD CARE, HOUSING:
ADMINISTRATION PERSPECTIVES

At the outset of the second Clinton Administration, Secretary Shalala offers an overview of what has been achieved in her department in the areas of health care and child care. Secretary Henry G. Cisneros, of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, discusses how his agency's mandate is being accomplished.

COMMENTARY

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE UNITED STATES:
THE CURRENT TAPESTRY

How do we define the term? What does it mean with respect to individuals and the public sector? What are the historical roots, and the issues fueling the debate today? What are the hopes for tomorrow? Two leading social scientists, Professor Theda Skocpol of Harvard University and David Kuo, executive director of the American Compass, recently discussed the topic. This dialogue is drawn from that conversation.

AMERICAN DREAMS AND DISCONTENTS: BEYOND THE LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

Progress towards the ideal of an American society based on equality of opportunity that rewards ability and achivement has been significant. Yet some long-standing problems, and some newly emergent inequities, remain to be resolved. This analysis by two staff members of The Urban Institute seeks to reconcile these continuing discontents with the record of accomplishment.

WELFARE FIXERS

Adam Wolfson, executive editor of The Public Interest, a leading journal of sociology and political economy, outlines three principal and, to an extent, competing schools of thought on how to reform the United States welfare system.

THE STATES AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY:
THE NORTH CAROLINA EXPERIENCE

Prior to the passage of welfare reform legislation in 1996, the Department of Health and Human Services had granted several U.S. states permission to experiment with their local welfare systems. In this case study, Sandra Babb, a social policy and welfare official in North Carolina, describes her state's approach to refining its system, and notes some early achievements.

DEPARTMENTS

BIBLIOGRAPHY
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U.S. Society & Values

USIA Electronic Journals

Volume 1, Number 29, January, 1997

USIA's electronic journals, published and transmitted worldwide at two-week intervals, examine major issues facing the United States and the international community, and inform foreign publics about the United States. The journals -- Economic Perspectives, Global Issues, Issues of Democracy, U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda and U.S. Society & Values -- provide analysis, commentary and background information in their thematic areas. French and Spanish language versions appear one week after the English. The opinions expressed in the journals do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government. Articles may be reproduced and translated outside the United States unless there are specific copyright restrictions cited on the article.
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Editor, U..S. Society & Values
Society and Values - I/TSV 301 4th Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20547
United States of America
ejvalues@usia.gov

Publisher..........................Judith S. Siegel Editor.............................William Peters Managing Editors...................Charlotte Astor ..................Michael Bandler Associate Editors..................Wayne Hall ..................Guy Olson Contributing Editors...............Rosalie Targonski ..................Mark Smith Art Director/Graphic Designer......Thaddeus A. Miskinski, Jr. Graphics Assistant.................Sylvia Scott Internet Editor....................Chandley McDonald Reference and Research.............Mary Ann V. Gamble ..................Kathy Spiegel
Editorial Board
Howard Cincotta...Rosemary Crockett...Judy S. Siegel

U.S. Society and Values
USIA Electronic Journals, Vol. 1, No. 20, January, 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE UNITED STATES

FOCUS

COMMENTARY

DEPARTMENTS