Distinguished Professor of Political Science Frances Fox Piven

Frances Fox Piven

Richard A. Cloward

Have the poor fared best by participating in conventional electoral politics or by engaging in mass defiance and disruption? The authors of the classic Regulating The Poor assess the successes and failures of these two strategies as they examine, in this provocative study, four protest movements of lower-class groups in 20th century America: -- The mobilization of the unemployed during the Great Depression that gave rise to the Workers' Alliance of America -- The industrial strikes that resulted in the formation of the CIO -- The Southern Civil Rights Movement -- The movement of welfare recipients led by the National Welfare Rights Organization.

Why They Succeed, how They Fail

Poor People's Movements

Historical study of the functions of the relief system in America reveals that its policies are cyclical, expanding in times of civil disorder and contracting once political stability is restored

The Functions of Public Welfare

Regulating the Poor

Margaret Groarke

Lorraine Carol Minnite

Today in the US, more than 40 years after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 demolished bars to voting for African Americans, the effort to prevent black people - as well as Latinos and the poor in general - from voting is experiencing a resurgence. A myriad of new tactics, some of which adopt the mantle of election reform', has evolved to suppress the vote. In this sharply argued new study, three leading experts on party politics and elections demonstrate that the political system is as focused on stopping people from voting as on getting Americans to go to the polls.'

Race and the Demobilization of American Voters

Keeping Down the Black Vote

"What do the American Revolution, the abolitionist movement, the labor movement, and the Vietnam antiwar movement have in common? These are examples of the profound moments in American history when ordinary Americans collectively and persuasively told the government ENOUGH! Challenging Authority argues that ordinary people exercise extraordinary political courage and power in American politics when, frustrated by politics as usual, they rise up in anger and hope, and defy the authorities and the status quo rules that ordinarily govern their daily lives. By doing so, they disrupt the workings of important institutions and become a force in American politics."--Jacket.

Frances Fox Piven

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