"A lively and readable synthesis of much of the vast social scientific and historical literature on the contemporary American welfare state. It is also an invaluable primer on recent developments in Medicare, welfare, and pension policy."—Perspectives on Politics

"In The Politics of Policy Change Daniel Bland and Alex Waddan provide an insightful analysis of the major reforms enacted in the past two decades in the United States—Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicare, and Social Security. They describe the politics of policy reform in a lively and readable fashion and convincingly demonstrate why government is necessary to protect the well-being of all citizens."—Jill Quadagno, Florida State University, and author of One Nation, Uninsured: Why the US Has No National Health Insurance

"Bland and Waddan have pulled off a major coup and written what will soon be a standard work on America's welfare state. Drawing on the insights of a generation of institutionally minded social scientists, their analysis of recent welfare, Social Security, and health care finance efforts both synthesizes and advances the discussion. It makes developments in these fields intelligible to subject specialists and the interested public alike."—Edward D. Berkowitz, professor of history, public policy, and public administration, The George Washington University