This page gathers Theda Skocpol’s research on American political development and public policy, spanning her books, including Protecting Soldiers and Mothers, Boomerang, and Health Care Reform and American Politics. From Civil War pensions and the New Deal to the Affordable Care Act, these works examine how government institutions, political parties, and organized citizens have shaped American social policy.
Articles
Business Associations, Conservative Networks, and the Ongoing Republican War over Medicaid Expansion
Alexander Hertel-Fernandez; Theda Skocpol; Daniel Lynch. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law Vol. 41, No. 2, April 2016; DOI 10.1215/03616878-3476141
[Online Link]
Categories: American Political Development & Public Policies, Contemporary U.S. Politics, and Research Article
Books
Protecting Soldiers and Mothers: The Political Origins of Social Policy in the United States
Traces the origins of American social provision through Civil War pensions and the policies won by women’s reform movements. Winner of six major scholarly awards, including the APSA Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award.
Social Policy in the United States: Future Possibilities in Historical Perspective
Essays on what the history of American social programs suggests about their future.
State and Party in America’s New Deal
Examines how state capacities and party politics shaped New Deal agricultural and industrial policy.
Boomerang: Clinton's Health Security Effort and the Turn Against Government in U.S. Politics
An account of the failure of the Clinton health reform effort and the backlash against government that followed.
The Missing Middle: Working Families and the Future of American Social Policy
Makes the case for social policies that support working families, not only the poor or the elderly.
Health Care Reform and American Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know
An accessible guide to the Affordable Care Act and the political fight surrounding it.