Did Social Security Attempt to Regulate the Poor?

Abstract

Nearly a decade after its publication, Regulating the Poor remains a provocative and widely read book. This essay discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Piven and Cloward's argument about the formative years of Social Security. It then suggests ways that researchers can build upon the conceptual framework set forth in the book as they evaluate current old-age policies and debate policy options for the aging and the aged in the future.