"This volume is the first to examine how public policy aimed at education, income support, welfare, housing, civil rights, and employment may affect health. Since the existing strategy of devoting an increasing share of resources to medical care is at the point of diminishing returns and cannot be sustained in the long run, the approach promoted by this seminal collection deserves and is certain to receive growing attention."
-CHOICE

"In the next fifteen years, baby boomers will enter the elderly population and the number of people over sixty-five in the United States will have doubled, a crisis that will dramatically overwhelm our medical care system. Making Americans Healthier offers crucially important ideas about how we must deal with this challenge."
-S. LEONARD SYME, emeritus professor of epidemiology and community health, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley

"This is an absolute must-read book for anyone interested in how government policies can improve population health and reduce health disparities. Throughout most of the twentieth century, developed nations focused almost exclusively on the development of health care services, drugs and technology to cure acute illnesses and chronic disease. In contrast, the twenty-first century promises a much more deliberative effort to understand, endorse, and disseminate social and economic policy to promote health and prevent the onset of illness. Making Americans Healthier provides the keys for opening that prevention door by providing an up-to-date critique and thorough examination of how non-health policies targeted on social and economic problems have impacted population health."
-COLLEEN M. GROGAN, associate professor, School of Social Service Administration, and academic dean, Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy, University of Chicago

The United States spends billions of dollars annually on social and economic policies aimed at improving the lives of its citizens, but the health consequences associated with these policies are rarely considered. In Making Americans Healthier, a group of multidisciplinary experts shows how social and economic policies seemingly unrelated to medical well-being have dramatic consequences for the health of the American people.

Most previous research concerning problems with health and healthcare in the United States has focused narrowly on issues of medical care and insurance coverage, but Making Americans Healthier demonstrates the important health consequences that policymakers overlook in traditional cost-benefit evaluations of social policy. The contributors examine six critical policy areas: civil rights, education, income support, employment, welfare, and neighborhood and housing. Among the important findings in this book, David Cutler and Adriana Lleras-Muney document the robust relationship between educational attainment and health, and estimate that the health benefits of education may exceed even the well-documented financial returns of education. Pamela Herd, James House, and Robert Schoeni discover notable health benefits associated with the Supplemental Security Income Program, which provides financial support for elderly and disabled Americans. George Kaplan, Nalini Ranjit, and Sarah Burgard document a large and unanticipated improvement in the health of African-American women following the enactment of civil rights legislation in the 1960s.

Making Americans Healthier presents ground-breaking evidence that the health impact of many social policies is substantial. The important findings in this book pave the way for promising new avenues for intervention and convincingly demonstrate that ultimately social and economic policy is health policy.
 

ROBERT F. SCHOENI is professor of public policy and economics, the University of Michigan.

JAMES S. HOUSE is Angus Campbell Collegiate Professor of Sociology and Survey Research, the University of Michigan.

GEORGE A. KAPLAN is the Thomas Francis Collegiate Professor of Public Health, the University of Michigan.

HAROLD POLLACK is associate professor of social service administration, University of Chicago.

CONTRIBUTORS: Marianne P. Bitler, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Sarah A. Burgard, Janet Currie, David M. Cutler, Rebecca C. Fauth, Irv Garfinkel. Ben B. Hansen, Pamela Herd, Hilary Hoynes, Daniel Keating, Jean Knab, Adriana Lleras-Muney, Sara McLanahan, Jeffrey D. Morenoff, Enrico Moretti, Theresa L. Osypuk, Richard H. Price,  Nalini Ranjit, Ana V. Diez Roux, Christopher J. Ruhm, Sharon Z. Simonton.

A Volume in the National Poverty Center Series on Poverty and Public Policy

This widely acclaimed study of political power in a metropolitan community portrays the political system in its entirety and in balance—and retains much of the drama, the excitement, and the special style of New York City. It discusses the stakes and rules of the city's politics, and the individuals, groups, and official agencies influencing government action.

WALLACE S. SAYRE is Eaton Professor of Public Administration at Columbia University.

HERBERT KAUFMAN is associate professor of political science at Yale University.

"In the 'war of the models' between variants of capitalism, the Dutch economy has had good and bad publicity. There is the 'Dutch disease' that prices manufacturing out of some markets and criticisms of Dutch collective bargaining as being insufficiently centralized or decentralized. There is also much ballyhoo about the virtues of the Polder model and Dutch economic planning. By examining how the Dutch have dealt with less skilled and low-wage work, Low-Wage Work in the Netherlands illuminates how the Dutch system operates to deal with a problem that affects all economies. The depth of discussion of specific industries and workers offers more insight into how the Dutch do it than the broad generalizations that abound in analyses of the varying capitalist models."
-RICHARD B. FREEMAN, Herbert Ascherman Chair in Economics, Harvard University and Senior Research Fellow in Labour Markets, London School of Economics

"A lot has been written about the so-called Polder model, the Dutch model of consensus building, to which many of its economic successes of the 1990s have been attributed. However, little attention has been paid to the downside of this success: the strong growth of low-wage employment. This volume fills the gap by giving extensive consideration to the bottom segment of the labor market. It is unique in discussing and analyzing low-wage work at the national level as well as at the industry and the company level. It convincingly demonstrates how strong job growth may have the price of erosion of income security and job quality at the lower end of the labor market. Reading Low-Wage Work in the Netherlands is indispensable for everyone who wants to know how the Dutch Polder model really works."
-PAUL DE BEER, Henri Polak Professor of Industrial Relations, University of Amsterdam

"Any student of the low-wage labor market must at some point answer several questions. How much can institutional differences affect the strategies that firms adopt? How, in turn, can these strategies affect outcomes for low-wage workers? Is it possible to create a high road environment for low-skill employment? This fascinating study provides an in-depth analysis that helps answer such questions in industries familiar to all labor market researchers-retail, hotels, health care, call centers, and food-in the context of the 'Dutch model.' The authors weave rich case study information together with statistical data to provide a vivid tapestry of work conditions under the 'Dutch model.' Both their findings and their careful analytic approach make Low-Wage Work in the Netherlands a must read for serious labor market researchers."
-JULIA I. LANE, senior vice president, National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago

The Dutch economy has often been heralded for accomplishing solid employment growth within a generous welfare system. In recent years, the Netherlands has seen a rise in low-wage work and has maintained one of the lowest unemployment rates in the European Union. Low-Wage Work in the Netherlands narrows in on the causes and consequences of this new development. The authors find that the increase in low-wage work can be partly attributed to a steep rise in the number of part-time jobs and non-standard work contracts—46 percent of Dutch workers hold part-time jobs. The decline in full-time work has challenged historically powerful Dutch unions and has led to a slow but steady dismantling of many social insurance programs from 1979 onward. At the same time, there are hopeful lessons to be gleaned from the Dutch model: low-wage workers benefit from a well-developed system of income transfers, and many move on to higher paying jobs. Low-Wage Work in the Netherlands paints a nuanced picture of the Dutch economy by analyzing institutions that both support and challenge its low-wage workforce.

WIEMER SALVERDA is director of the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies.

MAARTEN VAN KLAVEREN is researcher and consultant at STZ Consultancy and Research.

MARC VAN DER MEER is director of studies at the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies.

CONTRIBUTORS: Ria Hermanussen, Robert Solow, Wim Sprenger, Kea Tijdens, Arjen Van Halem. 

A Volume in the RSF Case Studies of Job Quality in Advanced Economies

"This book represents a step in the right direction by making important distinctions among types of social capital. Moreover, it addresses how social capital can be generated and used to combat poverty and promote social justice. By providing direction for policy and community practice, research, and teaching, this volume will be a useful addition to many courses and bookshelves."
-Journal of Community Practice

"A landmark accomplishment on three fronts: the evolution of social capital scholarship, our understanding of the causes and consequences of 'true disadvantage,' and our knowledge of effective approaches to working with poor communities. Deftly integrating the practical applications of theory and the theoretical implications of hard-won lessons from the field, this volume showcases the work of America's finest thinkers and doers in the rapidly expanding social capital universe. In conjunction with related work on poverty in low income countries, these U.S. cases powerfully demonstrate that a focus on building up the social, economic, and political assets-rather than harping on the 'deficits'-of poor communities can rest on rigorous conceptual and empirical foundations, and provide a coherent framework for informed policy and project recommendations. Too many books are labeled 'required reading,' but whether you're a new or seasoned reader of the social capital literature, this volume belongs at the top of the list."
-Michael Woolcock, World Bank and Harvard University

"Social Capital and Poor Communities shows why community building is critical to improving the lives of families in low-income communities, and offers fresh ideas for mobilizing social resources to improve housing, education, health, public safety, and economic development. This important book tackles tough questions about how community organizations can act effectively together, the importance of leadership development and institution-building, and the challenges of working in policy and political arenas. Bringing the latest in social science research together with the results of practical efforts to combat poverty, this volume is must reading for policymakers, practitioners, and all those concerned about justice and equity in America."
-Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink

Neighborhood support groups have always played a key role in helping the poor survive, but combating poverty requires more than simply meeting the needs of day-to-day subsistence. Social Capital and Poor Communities shows the significant achievements that can be made through collective strategies, which empower the poor to become active partners in revitalizing their neighborhoods. Trust and cooperation among residents and local organizations such as churches, small businesses, and unions form the basis of social capital, which provides access to resources that would otherwise be out of reach to poor families.

Social Capital and Poor Communities examines civic initiatives that have built affordable housing, fostered small businesses, promoted neighborhood safety, and increased political participation. At the core of each initiative lie local institutions—church congregations, parent-teacher groups, tenant associations, and community improvement alliances. The contributors explore how such groups build networks of leaders and followers and how the social power they cultivate can be successfully transferred from smaller goals to broader political advocacy. For example, community-based groups often become platforms for leaders hoping to run for local office. Church-based groups and interfaith organizations can lobby for affordable housing, job training programs, and school improvement.

Social Capital and Poor Communities convincingly demonstrates why building social capital is so important in enabling the poor to seek greater access to financial resources and public services. As the contributors make clear, this task is neither automatic nor easy. The book's frank discussions of both successes and failures illustrate the pitfalls—conflicts of interest, resistance from power elites, and racial exclusion—that can threaten even the most promising initiatives. The impressive evidence in this volume offers valuable insights into how goal formation, leadership, and cooperation can be effectively cultivated, resulting in a remarkable force for change and a rich public life even for those communities mired in seemingly hopeless poverty.

SUSAN SAEGERT is professor of environmental psychology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.

J. PHILLIP THOMPSON is Associate Professor in American politics, Columbia University.

MARK R. WARREN is associate professor in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.

CONTRIBUTORS:  Mark Chaves,  Cathy J. Cohen,  Cynthia M. Duncan,  Michael Foley,  Ross Gittell,  Sherman A. James,  Langley C. Keyes,  Margaret Levi,  M. Lisette Lopez,  John D. McCarthy, Lorraine C. Minnite,  Pedro A. Noguera,  Melvin L. Oliver,  Robert Putnam,  Robert J. Sampson,  Amy Schulz,  Robert Y. Shapiro,  Carol B. Stack,  Juliana van Olphen.

A Volume in the Ford Foundation Series on Asset Building

"Financing Low-Income Communities fills a significant gap in the literature on community development. While much has been written about organizational and political issues, relatively few works explain how to finance activities at the neighborhood level. By definition, low-income communities lack assets. This book is a guide for practitioners and a contribution to scholarship concerning best practices in raising the funds necessary to bring projects to fruition."
-Susan S. Fainstein, Harvard University Graduate School of Design

"Financing Low-Income Communities is a most timely examination of the most critical financial services issues of our day by leading scholars and activists. In exploring the behavior of individuals and their families, the practices of financial institutions, and the policies of regulatory and legislative bodies it maps out directions for steering investment to traditionally underserved communities."
-Gregory D. Squires, George Washington University

"Financing Low-Income Communities is necessary reading for public and private sector leaders addressing the challenges of bringing financial services and capital to poor communities. Leading experts provide critical insights into ways institutions can best serve low income communities, key metrics for evaluating community development programs and policy reforms to overcome the financial exclusion of marginalized neighborhoods."
-Susan M. Wachter, University of Pennsylvania

Access to capital and financial services is crucial for healthy communities.  However, many impoverished individuals and neighborhoods are routinely ignored by mainstream financial institutions.  This neglect led to the creation of community development financial institutions (CDFIs), which provide low-income communities with financial services and act as a conduit to conventional financial organizations and capital markets. Edited by Julia Sass Rubin, Financing Low-Income Communities brings together leading experts in the field to assess what we know about the challenges of bringing financial services and capital to poor communities, map out future lines of research, and propose policy reforms to make these efforts more effective.

The contributors to Financing Low-Income Communities distill research on key topics related to community development finance. Daniel Schneider and Peter Tufano examine the obstacles that make saving and asset accumulation difficult for low-income households—such as the fact that tens of millions of low-income and minority adults don’t have a bank account—and consider solutions, like making it easier for low-wage workers to enroll in 401(K) plans. Jeanne Hogarth, Jane Kolodinksy, and Marianne Hilgert review evidence showing that community-based financial education programs can be effective in changing families’ saving and budgeting patterns.  Lisa Servon proposes strategies for addressing the challenges facing the microenterprise field in the United States.  Julia Sass Rubin discusses ways community loan and venture capital funds have adapted in response to the decreased availability of funding, and considers potential sources of new capital, such as state governments and public pension funds.  Marva Williams explores the evolution and recent performance of community development banks and credit unions.  Kathleen Engel and Patricia McCoy document the proliferation of predatory lenders, who market loans at onerous interest rates to financially vulnerable families and the devastating effects of such lending on communities—from increased crime to falling home values and lower tax revenues. Rachel Bratt reviews the policies and programs used to make rental and owned housing financially accessible.  Rob Hollister proposes a framework for evaluating the contributions of community development financial institutions.

Despite the many accomplishments of CDFIs over the last four decades, changing political and economic conditions make it imperative that they adapt in order to survive.  Financing Low-Income Communities charts out new directions for public and private organizations which aim to end the financial exclusion of marginalized neighborhoods.

JULIA SASS RUBIN is assistant professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

CONTRIBUTORS: Julia Sass Rubin, Rachel G. Bratt, Kathleen C. Engel, Marianne A. Hilgert, Jeanne M. Hogarth, Robinson Hollister, Jane Kolodinsky, Patricia A. McCoy, Daniel Schneider, Lisa Servon, Peter Tufano, and Marva E. Williams.

Shows what happens when a specific social policy is tried out on an experimental basis prior to being enacted into law. By providing a trial of a variety of negative income tax plans carried out over a three-year period in four communities, the New Jersey-Pennsylvania Income Maintenance Experiment was designed to observe whether income maintenance would lead to reduced work effort on the part of those who received subsidies. This book evaluates the final project reports on the experiment issued by Mathematica, Inc. and the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin.

PETER H. ROSSI is professor of sociology and director of the Social and Demographic Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

KATHARINE C. LYALL is assistant professor of political economy and senior research associate at the Center for Metropolitan Planning and Research, Johns Hopkins University.

A publication in the Continuities in Evaluation Research series.

A Volume in the American Sociological Association’s Rose Series in Sociology

Winner of the 2002 Willard Waller Award for Distinguished Scholarship

"An important indictment of the failed connection between high school and post-high school opportunities for American youth ... well worth reading."
-WORK AND OCCUPATIONS

"James Rosenbaum skillfully exposes as false many assumptions about the causes of unfruitful careers among the 'forgotten half' of high school students. He draws selectively from labor economics and organizational sociology and displays the rewarding analytical power of theoretical eclecticism when applied to a complex social phenomenon. His own explanation for why so many American high school students do not succeed in the marketplace arises from insightful institutional comparisons among the United States, Japan, and Germany. But ultimately it emerges from highly creative thinking about transactions of failed communication, misplaced incentives, and unfulfilled trust between teachers and students and between schools and employers. The book is theoretically rich and empirically compelling. It offers new and thought-provoking insights into a longstanding dilemma in educating the nation's youth for productive lives, and it offers guarded optimism about the future."
-DAVID L. FEATHERMAN, University of Michigan

"Beyond College For All presents an insightful analysis of the transition from high school to work in the United States. The work is theoretically rich, distinctive in its reliance on observational, anecdotal, and survey data, and practical in its recommendations. Researchers, graduate students, educators, and employers would profit from James Rosenbaum's work."
-MAUREEN T. HALLINAN, University of Notre Dame

In a society where everyone is supposed to go to college, the problems facing high school graduates who do not continue their education are often forgotten. Many cannot find jobs, and those who do are often stuck in low-wage, dead-end positions. Meanwhile employers complain that high school graduates lack the necessary skills for today's workplace. Beyond College for All focuses on this crisis in the American labor market. Around the world, author James E. Rosenbaum finds, employers view high school graduates as valuable workers. Why not here?

Rosenbaum reports on new studies of the interaction between employers and high schools in the United States. He concludes that each fails to communicate its needs to the other, leading to a predictable array of problems for young people in the years after graduation. High schools caught up in the college-for-all myth, provide little job advice or preparation, leading students to make unrealistic plans and hampering both students who do not go to college and those who start college but do not finish. Employers say they care about academic skills, but then do not consider grades when deciding whom to hire. Faced with few incentives to achieve, many students lapse into precisely the kinds of habits employers deplore, doing as little as possible in high school and developing poor attitudes.

Rosenbaum contrasts the situation in the United States with that of two other industrialized nations-Japan and Germany-which have formal systems for aiding young people who are looking for employment. Virtually all Japanese high school graduates obtain work, and in Germany, eighteen-year-olds routinely hold responsible jobs. While the American system lacks such formal linkages, Rosenbaum uncovers an encouraging hidden system that helps many high school graduates find work. He shows that some American teachers, particularly vocational teachers, create informal networks with employers to guide students into the labor market. Enterprising employers have figures out how to use these networks to meet their labor needs, while students themselves can take steps to increase their ability to land desirable jobs.

Beyond College for All suggests new policies based on such practices. Rosenbaum presents a compelling case that the problems faced by American high school graduates and employers can be solved if young people, employers, and high schools build upon existing informal networks to create formal paths for students to enter the world of work.

JAMES E. ROSENBAUM is professor of sociology, education, and social policy at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University.

"This book's most significant contribution is that it examines the recurring problem of lack of completion on the part of community college students from a different paradigm that moves beyond concepts of individual student deficiencies and focuses instead on college structures and processes as critical to student success .... Examples from interviews are especially compelling as they provide a glimpse into student understandings of their college experience. Quantitative research is also abundant and adds an important dimension to this effort. This book can serve as a useful tool for community college leaders seeking to increase retention and success of students."
-COMMUNITY COLLEGE REVIEW

"After Admission continues an argument that James E. Rosenbaum began in his 2001 volume Beyond College for All. With a majority of high school graduates now attending some kind of college, the central issue is less access (though access remains inequitable) and more the completion and success of all students. The three authors provide novel perspectives about enhancing success by contrasting practices in public community colleges with those in private 'occupational colleges' providing similar degrees in occupational subjects .... [The book's] many insights will benefit not only community colleges and their private analogues, but also many public and private four-year colleges that provide access without real success."
-W. NORTON GRUBB, University of California, Berkeley

"After Admission is a book that will inspire renewed purpose among community college leaders. Community colleges promise upward mobility, but too often fail to deliver. Drawing on an impressive array of empirical data and pointed comparisons with private occupational colleges, James E. Rosenbaum, Regina Deil-Amen, and Ann E. Person show how community colleges can create the conditions for student success through confidence- building teaching practices, social skills development, clearer pathways to degrees, and stronger links to employers. This book provides the blueprint for a new era of reform in community colleges."
-STEVEN BRINT, University of California, Riverside

"After Admission provides an important message about the challenges community colleges face in serving first- generation college enrollees well. In a well-designed study making use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods, James E. Rosenbaum, Regina Deil-Amen, and Ann E. Person document that community colleges have become extraordinarily important actors on the American higher education scene .... After Admission provides state legislators and policymakers with a thoughtful diagnosis of the problems community colleges face in serving a new student population and what it will take to solve these problems .... After Admission is essential reading for anyone who cares about community colleges and the students who attend them."
-RICHARD J. MURNANE, Harvard University

Enrollment at America’s community colleges has exploded in recent years, with five times as many entering students today as in 1965. However, most community college students do not graduate; many earn no credits and may leave school with no more advantages in the labor market than if they had never attended. Experts disagree over the reason for community colleges’ mixed record. Is it that the students in these schools are under-prepared and ill-equipped for the academic rigors of college? Are the colleges themselves not adapting to keep up with the needs of the new kinds of students they are enrolling? In After Admission, James Rosenbaum, Regina Deil-Amen, and Ann Person weigh in on this debate with a close look at this important trend in American higher education.

After Admission compares community colleges with private occupational colleges that offer accredited associates degrees. The authors examine how these different types of institutions reach out to students, teach them social and cultural skills valued in the labor market, and encourage them to complete a degree. Rosenbaum, Deil-Amen, and Person find that community colleges are suffering from a kind of identity crisis as they face the inherent complexities of guiding their students towards four-year colleges or to providing them with vocational skills to support a move directly into the labor market. This confusion creates administrative difficulties and problems allocating resources. However, these contradictions do not have to pose problems for students. After Admission shows that when colleges present students with clear pathways, students can effectively navigate the system in a way that fits their needs. The occupational colleges the authors studied employed close monitoring of student progress, regular meetings with advisors and peer cohorts, and structured plans for helping students meet career goals in a timely fashion. These procedures helped keep students on track and, the authors suggest, could have the same effect if implemented at community colleges.

As college access grows in America, institutions must adapt to meet the needs of a new generation of students. After Admission highlights organizational innovations that can help guide students more effectively through higher education.

JAMES E. ROSENBAUM is professor of sociology, education, and social policy, and faculty fellow at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University.

REGINA DEIL-AMEN is assistant professor at the Center for the Study of Higher Education, the University of Arizona College of Education.

ANN E. PERSON is a doctoral student in human development and social policy and a graduate fellow with the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University.

Social Diagnosis is the classic in social work literature. In it Miss Richmond first established a technique of social casework. She discusses the nature and uses of social evidence, its tests and their practical application, and summarizes the lessons to be learned from history, science, and the law. While other aids in diagnosis have been added to the caseworker's equipment, the assembling of social evidence is still an important discipline of the profession, to which this volume continues to make a significant contribution. No revision of the book has ever been made nor does any later book take its place.

MARY RICHMOND was the director of the Charity Organization Department at the Russell Sage Foundation.

"Do Prisons Make Us Safer? is an important volume. Steven Raphael and Michael A. Stoll have brought together some of the best researchers in the country to address a crucial question: Does the marginal crime reduction benefit of increased incarceration outweigh its social and economic costs to society? The compelling findings are extremely thought provoking and the policy implications are profound. I very strongly recommend this timely publication."
-William Julius Wilson, Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor. Harvard University

"This ambitious book tackles one of the most far-reaching phenomena of the modern American era, the relentless growth of our nation's prison population. Each chapter is a gem, shedding new light on the complex interactions between our prisons and our society. In the future, no serious assessment of our incarceration policies will be complete without reference to this ground-breaking scholarship."
-Jeremy Travis, president, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York

The number of people incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails more than quadrupled between 1975 and 2005, reaching the unprecedented level of over two million inmates today. Annual corrections spending now exceeds 64 billion dollars, and many of the social and economic burdens resulting from mass incarceration fall disproportionately on minority communities. Yet crime rates across the country have also dropped considerably during this time period. In Do Prisons Make Us Safer? leading experts systematically examine the complex repercussions of the massive surge in our nation’s prison system.

Do Prisons Make Us Safer? asks whether it makes sense to maintain such a large and costly prison system. The contributors expand the scope of previous analyses to include a number of underexplored dimensions, such as the fiscal impact on states, effects on children, and employment prospects for former inmates. Steven Raphael and Michael Stoll assess the reasons behind the explosion in incarceration rates and find that criminal behavior itself accounts for only a small fraction of the prison boom. Eighty-five percent of the trend can be attributed to “get tough on crime” policies that have increased both the likelihood of a prison sentence and the length of time served. Shawn Bushway shows that while prison time effectively deters and incapacitates criminals in the short term, long-term benefits such as overall crime reduction or individual rehabilitation are less clear cut. Amy Lerman conducts a novel investigation into the effects of imprisonment on criminal psychology and uncovers striking evidence that placement in a high security penitentiary leads to increased rates of violence and anger—particularly in the case of first time or minor offenders. Rucker Johnson documents the spill-over effects of parental incarceration—children who have had a parent serve prison time exhibit more behavioral problems than their peers. Policies to enhance the well-being of these children are essential to breaking a devastating cycle of poverty, unemployment, and crime. John Donohue’s economic calculations suggest that alternative social welfare policies such as education and employment programs for at-risk youth may lower crime just as effectively as prisons, but at a much lower human cost. The cost of hiring a new teacher is roughly equal to the cost of incarcerating an additional inmate.

The United States currently imprisons a greater proportion of its citizens than any other nation in the world. Until now, however, we’ve lacked systematic and comprehensive data on how this prison boom has affected families, communities, and our nation as a whole. Do Prisons Make Us Safer? provides a highly nuanced and deeply engaging account of one of the most dramatic policy developments in recent U.S. history.

STEVEN RAPHAEL is professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

MICHAEL A. STOLL is professor and chair of public policy in the School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles.

CONTRIBUTORS: Shawn D. Bushway, John J. Donohue III, John W. Ellwood, Joshua Guetzkow, Harry J. Holzer, Rucker C. Johnson, Amy E. Lerman, Raymond Paternoster, Steven Raphael, Michael A. Stoll, David F. Weiman, and Christopher Weiss