The Carter Presidency: Policy Choices in the Post-New Deal EraGary M. Fink, Hugh Davis Graham After the Nixon and Ford administrations, liberal Democrats hoped Jimmy Carter's election in 1976 would restore the New Deal agenda in the White House. Instead, during four tumultuous years in office, Carter endorsed many of the fiscal and economic policies later espoused by his Republican successor, Ronald Reagan. But Carter also backed most New Deal social programs and, however reluctantly, pursued a traditional containment foreign policy. In this book more than a dozen eminent scholars provide a balanced overview of key elements of Carter's presidency, examining the significance of his administration within the context of evolving American policy choices after World War II. They seek not only to understand the troubled Carter presidency but also to identify the changes that precipitated and accompanied the demise of the New Deal order. By the time Carter took office many Americans had become disenchanted with big government and welfare spending, and his presidency is viewed in these pages as a transitional administration. As this volume demonstrates, Carter's dilemma emerged from his effort to steer a course between traditional expectations of federal government and new political and economic realities. While most of the contributors agree that his administration may be justly criticized for failing to find that course, they generally conclude that Carter was more successful than his critics acknowledge. These thirteen original essays cover such topics as the economy, trade and industrial policies, welfare reform, energy, environment, civil rights, feminism, and foreign policy. They offer thoughtful assessments of Carter's performance, focusing on policy both as cause and effect of the post-industrial transformation of American society that shadowed his administration. A final essay shows how Carter's public spirited post-presidential career has made him one of America's greatest ex-presidents. Grounded on research conducted at the Carter Library, The Carter Presidency is an incisive reassessment of an isolated Democratic administration from the vantage point of twenty years. It is a milestone in the historical appraisal of that administration, inviting us to take a new look at Jimmy Carter and see what his presidency represented for a dramatically changing America. |
Contents
The Quest for National Goals 195781 | 29 |
The Trade and Industrial | 72 |
Jimmy Carter and the End of the Politics of Productivity | 95 |
Jimmy Carter and Welfare Reform | 117 |
Carters Urban Policy Crisis | 137 |
National Energy Policy | 158 |
Environmental Policy during the Carter Presidency | 179 |
Other editions - View all
The Carter Presidency: Policy Choices in the Post-New Deal Era Gary M. Fink,Hugh Davis Graham No preview available - 1998 |
Common terms and phrases
administration's advisers Agenda American Atlanta August bill billion budget Califano campaign Carter administration Carter Center Carter Library Carter Presidency Charles Schultze civil rights coalition commission committee Congress congressional conservative crisis December Department Domestic Policy DPS-Eizenstat economic policy efforts Eisenhower election employment energy policy environmental federal feminist fiscal Ford foreign policy funds Goals human rights increased industry inflation initiatives Interview issues James Earl Carter January Jimmy Carter Kahn Kaptur leaders Leadership legislation liberal Meany ment Miller Center Mondale National Nixon October Office organized labor Papers of Jimmy percent political presidential problems programs projects proposed Public Papers Ray Marshall Reagan Republican Robert Rosalynn Carter SALT II Sarah Weddington Schlesinger Schultze Senate social Soviet Staff Secretary File steel Stuart Eizenstat Tellico Dam tion trade Union United University Press urban policy URPG Washington welfare reform WHCF White House William women York