General Welfare and Two American Political Traditions
Hugh Heclo contends that throughout their history Americans have embraced two different but equally legitimate conceptions of the general welfare.  The greatest danger for domestic policy presently is losing the vital balance between these two visions.

The Welfare State: Ethical Foundations and Constitutional Remedies
Theodore J. Lowi attempts to trace the ethical origins of the welfare state in order to develop a better political theory as a basis for constructive reform of welfare policies.

The Gender Basis of American Social Policy
Virginia Sapiro explores the relationship of social-policy thinking to gender ideology.  She emphasizes the difference between norms governing the ability of individuals, on the one hand, to provide for themselves and others financially and, on the other, to care for themselves and others through personal services.

Social Policy and the Welfare of Black Americans: From Rights to Resources
Charles V. Hamilton discusses the impact of the black political struggle on the development of social welfare policies.  His view is that "entitlement" has taken on a meaning not only of guaranteed "rights," but also of guarenteed "resources," the most important of which is employment.

Press Freedom and the General Welfare
Doris A. Graber reviews the unparalleled freedom from government regulation the Constitution granted to the press.  Given this privileged position of the press, she believes it has fallen far short of being a free marketplace of ideas and information, the people's watchdog over government, or the guardian of minority rights.

Contemporary Judicial Processes and a Democratic Society
Henry J. Abraham maintains that the contemporary litigation explosion has clogged our judicial tribunals, engendered unacceptable delays, and rendered aspects of the judicial process beleaguered.  He offers a series of recommendations for making the judicial processes more conducive to the general welfare.

Changing Conceptions of Federalism
Demetrios Caraley examines how the general welfare is affected by "New Federalism" proposals to reverse a fifty-year policy of federal aid programs for poor people and for city and state governments.

Rethinking the Silences of Social and Economic Policy
Ira Katznelson analyzes how the language of politics and public policy develops and changes at key moments of choice and possibility.  He stresses how in understanding the evolution of policy, certain issues on which policy was "silent" must also be looked at.