{"product_id":"charitable-choice-at-work-sheila-suess-kennedy-9781589011328","title":"Charitable Choice at Work: Evaluating Faith-Based Job Programs in the States","description":"\u003cp\u003eToo often, say its critics, U.S. domestic policy is founded on ideology rather than evidence. Take \"Charitable Choice\" legislation enacted with the assumption that faith-based organizations can offer the best assistance to the needy at the lowest cost. The Charitable Choice provision of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act--buttressed by President Bush's Faith-Based Initiative of 2000--encouraged religious organizations, including congregations, to bid on government contracts to provide social services. But in neither year was data available to prove or disprove the effectiveness of such an approach.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCharitable Choice at Work fills this gap with a comprehensive look at the evidence for and against faith-based initiatives. Sheila Suess Kennedy and Wolfgang Bielefeld review the movement's historical context along with legal analysis of constitutional concerns including privatization, federalism, and separation of church and state. Using both qualitative and, where possible, statistical data, the authors analyze the performance of job placement programs in three states with a representative range of religious, political, and demographic traits--Massachusetts, Indiana, and North Carolina. Throughout, they focus on measurable outcomes as they compare non-faith-based with faith-based organizations, nonprofits with for-profits, and the logistics of contracting before and after Charitable Choice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmong their findings: in states where such information is available, the composition of social service contractor pools has changed very little. Reflecting their varied political cultures, states have funded programs differently. Faith-based organizations have not been eager to seek government contracts, perhaps wary of additional legal restraints and reporting burdens.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors conclude that faith-based organizations appear no more effective than secular organizations at government-funded social service provision, that there has been no dramatic change in the social welfare landscape since Charitable Choice, and that the constitutional concerns of its detractors may be valid. This empirical study penetrates the fog of the culture wars, moving past controversy over the role of religion in public life to offer pragmatic suggestions for policymakers and organizations who must decide how best to assist the needy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Sheila Suess Kennedy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1589011325\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781589011328\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Georgetown University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/17\/2006\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 248\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.66lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 6.26w x 0.64d","brand":"Sheila Suess Kennedy","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48518923518207,"sku":"9781589011328","price":59.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_681521bd-6bea-4344-9cfd-64d746c6e067.jpg?v=1778736170","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/charitable-choice-at-work-sheila-suess-kennedy-9781589011328","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}