Title: Socializing Security
First published: October 6, 1995
Description: Socializing Security examines the early movement for worker-security legislation in the United States. It focuses on a group of academic economists who became leading proponents of social insurance and protective labor legislation during the first decades of the twentieth century. These economists - including John R. Commons and Richard T. Ely - founded the American Associates for Labor Legislation (AALL).

As intellectuals and political activists, they theorized about the social efficiency of security legislation, proposed policies, and drafted model bills. They campaigned vigorously for industrial safety laws, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, and compulsory health insurance.

. The AALL reformers were successful in some of their legislative campaigns, but failed in two of their most important ones, those for unemployment insurance and health insurance. In examining the obstacles that the reformers faced, David Moss highlights a variety of political and institutional constraints, including the constitutional doctrine of federalism and gender-biased judicial decisions.
Subjects: American Association for Labor Legislation, History, Industrial welfare, Labor laws and legislation, Law and legislation, Social security, United states, social policy, Social security, law and legislation, Labor laws and legislation, united states
Places: United States
Time periods: 20th century
LC classification: HD7654 .M67 1996