The defining assumptions and assumed definition of the welfare state

[T]he author sets out to challenge the fundamental construction of social phenomena. --Social Service Review One of the most exciting works on the development and character of the welfare state, as well as a profound treatment of the ways in which apparent technical decisions so often reflect changing political values. --Alan Altshulter, Dean, Graduate School of Public Administration, New York University Deborah Stone demonstrates that disability is a movable social boundary whose limits depend on cultural consensus. Her elegant analysis has important political implications. --Aaron Wildavsky, President, American Political Science Association