Social Policy and the Politics of Transformation

The Obama administration took office promising sweeping changes not only in key areas of social policy but in the deeper politics of social policymaking and citizenship. Thus, in addition to specific reform goals such as universal health care coverage, “green” jobs and infrastructure-building, and greatly expanded access to higher education, Obama vows a new era of pragmatic, knowledge-based policymaking in which demonstrably sound ideas and actual evidence of “what works” will triumph over ideology—and in which the values of collective responsibility, equal opportunity, and government competence are the basis of a new social contract between citizens and the state. Especially notable for historians, Obama himself is keenly aware of the extraordinary opportunity for social policy transformation presented by the historically unprecedented nature of his presidency, even if that opportunity turns out to be created more by the precipitous crisis of capitalism than by his election as our first African American president. Certainly in its rhetoric if not in practice, the Obama administration shows an appreciation for the relevance of history and an eagerness to learn from it, albeit in unprecedented times. My comments for the roundtable will touch on the multiple dimensions of the Obama social policy agenda, addressing whether and what the administration has learned in 2-3 specific areas of reform as well as in the broader project of social policy transformation, and asking how historical “lessons learned”—and not learned—have made a difference in the administration's ability to meet its goals. Among the issues my presentation might address is how past failures to achieve universal health coverage are absorbed into any significant reform initiative the administration pursues, and how earlier “moments” of transformational social policymaking—from English Poor Law Reform to the New Deal to the Reagan Revolution—are informing its deeper “change” agenda.