The supportive state: families, government, and America's political ideals

There is broad agreement among politicians & policymakers that the family is a critical institution of American life. Yet the role that the state should play with respect to family ties among citizens remains deeply contested. This controversy over the state's role underlies a broad range of public policy debates

There is broad agreement among politicians & policymakers that the family is a critical institution of American life. Yet the role that the state should play with respect to family ties among citizens remains deeply contested. This controversy over the state's role underlies a broad range of public policy debates.

In this book, Maxine Eichner contends that the family-state relationship must factor into the standard liberal goods of freedom and equality. She develops a supportive state model that allows families the freedom to pursue their own visions of the good life while requiring the state to enhance families' capacity for caretaking. In the end, her vigorous defense of modern liberalism stands as a sharp rejoinder to the widespread conservative belief that diminishing the state's role in family life will benefit families.