Last Resorts

ContentsList of Tables Foreword Acknowledgments1 Standardized Systems and Individual Needs From Discretion to Standardization The Countertrend: Emergency and Special Needs Programs Factors Shaping the Balance The Character of Specialized Aid Methods of Study 2 The Impact of Standardization on Basic Welfare Programs How the Major Consolidated Programs Deal with Emergencies and Special Needs The Political Context of the Consolidated Grant 3 Reactions to Standardization: Attempts to Fill the Gap Range of Programs Dealing with Emergency Assistance and Special Needs Coverage in Emergency Assistance and Special Needs Programs The Hodgepodge of State and County Programs 4 The Influence of State Public Welfare Policies on Specialized Programs Conflicting Commitments and Pressures Sorting Out the Influences: Measures of Welfare Commitments The Relationship between Characteristics of the AFDC System and Specialized Assistance The Relationship between the Goals of the System and Specialized Assistance The Relationship between Community Pressures and Specialized Assistance Regression Analyses Three Types of States 5 Rules, Procedures, and Delegation in State Programs State Rules and Procedures in Specialized Programs Relating Rules and Procedures to Costs and Caseloads Administrative Purposes of Rules and Procedures Appendix: Rules and the Welfare Policy Context 6 County Administration of Specialized Programs County Rules and Procedures in Specialized Programs State and County Differences: Methodology or Substance? County Administrative Characteristics and Program Size Discrepancies between State and County Variables Predicting Program Size The Administrative Relationship between States and Counties 7 Administrators' Perceptions of How Well the Specialized Programs Work Character of Program Administration Adequacy of the Specialized Programs Administrative Response to Increased Pressure The Toughest Problems The Dilemma of the Administrators 8 Private Charity and Other Community Programs Responses to Inadequate Public Programs Availability of Community Resources and Private Charity How Community Resources and Private Charity Work: Case-Study Data The Mission of Private Charity 9 A Comparative Note: Meeting Individualized Need in the British Supplementary Benefits Scheme The British Welfare System The Operation of the Supplementary Benefits Scheme Reform Proposals The 1976 Reform and Subsequent Reforms The Lesson of the British Experience 10 Striking the Balance The System We Have Achieving Adequate Coverage of Special Needs and Emergencies Balancing Standardization and Individualization References Subject Index