Scandalous politics
Subtitle: child welfare policy in the States
By: Juliet F. Gainsborough.
Series: American governance and public policy series
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Washington, D.C
Language: eng
Number of pages: 207
ISBN-13: 9781589017078
Subjects: Child welfare -- United States; United States -- Social policy
Description: Little work has been done to systematically analyze how high-profile incidents of child neglect and abuse shape child welfare policymaking in the United States. In Scandalous Politics, Juliet Gainsborough presents quantitative analysis of all fifty states and qualitative case studies of three states (Florida, Colorado, and New Jersey) that reveal how well-publicized child welfare scandals result in adoption of new legislation and new administrative procedures.

Gainsborough's quantitative analysis suggests that child welfare policymaking is frequently reactive, while the case studies provide more detail about variations and the legislative process. Scandalous Politics increases our understanding of the politics of child welfare at both the state and federal level and provides new insights into existing theories of agenda-setting and the policy process. It will be of interest to everyone involved with child welfare policymaking and especially public policy and public administration scholars. --Book Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: child welfare and the politics of scandal; title: The swinging pendulum: child welfare policy at the national level; title: States, scandals, and child welfare policy; title: Florida: scandal, electoral politics, and leadership change; title: Colorado: investigative journalism, local control, and minor reform; title: New Jersey: scandals, courts, and on-going reform; title: Conclusions: scandalous politics.