A Matter of Fairness: The Equity of Urban General Assistance

General assistance is the "safety net" of the welfare system, γet, most general assistance programs reflect the goals of cost containment more clearly than the goal of equity. Data from a 1982 survey of general assistance programs provide the basis for a causal analysis. The substantial variation across states seems based on willingness to provide services, rather than need. State welfare commitment is the most influential explanation on general assistance coverage, although per capita income, percent metropolitan, political culture, and percent unemployment also have some effect. Perhaps centralization at the federal level will provide equitable coverage; however, the current political environment makes such an outcome unlikely without major changes in public opinion.     

As Time Goes By: The Arrested Diffusion of the Equal Rights Amendment

Despite its initial momentum, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)failed to be approved by the margin of states required for ratification.Although many explanations have been advanced for the defeatof the ERA, one possible explanation that has been overlookedis the notion that the timing of a policy can largely determineits success or failure. The article examines the timing or "innovativeness,"with which the American states considered the ratification ofthe ERA. The analysis suggests that the relative innovativenessof states, as exhibited on a wide range of other policies andamendments, accounts for the relative order in which statesratified the ERA. The article concludes that the defeat of theERA was a matter of timing: states that are slow in adoptingother innovations were most vulnerable to the opposition effortsof ad hoc action groups.