Private wealth & public life
Subtitle: foundation philanthropy and the reshaping of American social policy from the Progressive Era to the New Deal
By: Judith Sealander.
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Baltimore
Language: eng
Number of pages: 349
Subjects: Endowments -- United States -- History -- 20th century.; United States -- Social policy.
Other titles: Private wealth and public life
Description: In Private Wealth and Public Life, historian Judith Sealander analyzes the role played by private philanthropic foundations in shaping public policy during the early years of this century. Focusing on foundation-sponsored attempts to influence policy in the areas of education, social welfare, and public health, she addresses significant misunderstandings about the place of philanthropic foundations in American life.

Drawing on a wealth of archival materials, much of it unavailable or overlooked until now, Sealander examines issues that remain central to American political life.

Her topics include vocational education policy, parent education, juvenile delinquency, mothers' pensions and public aid to impoverished children, anti-prostitution efforts, sex research, and publicly funded recreation. "Foundation philanthropy's legacy for domestic social policy," she writes, "raises a point that should be emphasized repeatedly by students of the policy process: Rarely is just one entity a policy's sole author; almost always policies in place produced unintended consequences."
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [297]-342) and index.