From Prophecy to Charity

How to Help the Poor

Lawrence M. Mead

Helping the poor is a question central to American life. Partially driven by America's Judeo-Christian heritage, Americans believe we possess enough wealth to provide some minimum basic standard of living for all and genuinely desire to help the least among us. We are the most generous nation on earth, spending hundreds of billions of dollars annually through private giving, corporate philanthropy, government aid, and other forms of charity. And yet, despite these efforts, international and domestic poverty persist.
In From Prophecy to Charity: How to Help the Poor, Lawrence M. Mead critiques the philosophical presuppositions of past and current endeavors to alleviate poverty and provides a framework to guide future efforts based on what has been proven to actually help those in need: charity rooted in love.

AEI Press

Pages: 140 • Trim: 4¾ x 6½

978-0-8447-4380-6 • Paperback • November 2011 • $9.95 • (£7.95)

978-0-8447-4381-3 • eBook • October 2011 • $8.99 • (£6.95)

Series: Values and Capitalism

Subjects: Social Science / Philanthropy & Charity

From Prophecy to Charity

How to Help the Poor

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Helping the poor is a question central to American life. Partially driven by America's Judeo-Christian heritage, Americans believe we possess enough wealth to provide some minimum basic standard of living for all and genuinely desire to help the least among us. We are the most generous nation on earth, spending hundreds of billions of dollars annually through private giving, corporate philanthropy, government aid, and other forms of charity. And yet, despite these efforts, international and domestic poverty persist.
In From Prophecy to Charity: How to Help the Poor, Lawrence M. Mead critiques the philosophical presuppositions of past and current endeavors to alleviate poverty and provides a framework to guide future efforts based on what has been proven to actually help those in need: charity rooted in love.

Details

AEI Press

Pages: 140 • Trim: 4¾ x 6½

978-0-8447-4380-6 • Paperback • November 2011 • $9.95 • (£7.95)

978-0-8447-4381-3 • eBook • October 2011 • $8.99 • (£6.95)

Series: Values and Capitalism

Subjects: Social Science / Philanthropy & Charity

Author

Lawrence M. Mead is professor of politics at New York University

Table of Contents

List of Tables
List of Acronyms
Acknowledgments
Introduction
A Look Ahead
Chapter 1: Poverty, Politics, and Programs
Chapter 2: Why are People Poor?
Chapter 3: Critical Perspectives
Chapter 4: Welfare Reform
Chapter 5: The Way Forward
Chapter 6: Larger Questions
Endnotes
About the Author

From Prophecy to Charity

How to Help the Poor

Lawrence M. Mead

From Prophecy to Charity

How to Help the Poor

ALSO AVAILABLE