“This is a definitive book. Collins and Mayer connect the hard experiences of particular women buffeted by changes in U.S. welfare policy with a broad and illuminating account of the economic and political forces that have transformed welfare in the United States. Read this book to understand what welfare reform is really about.”

Frances Fox Piven, City University of New York (CUNY)

"Both Hands Tied is critical social science at its best. I know of no book that is more successful in drawing the lived experiences of the poor into dialogue with the structural and political forces that are shaping their lives. What does it mean to be a worker, a citizen, and a parent in the lower reaches of American society today? How has the turn to paternalist welfare provision, rooted in work enforcement and behavioral regulation, affected poor women’s struggles to achieve better lives for themselves and their children? By combining powerful narratives and incisive social analysis, the authors provide answers to these questions that are as troubling as they are persuasive. Brimming with insight and beautifully written, Both Hands Tied is an important piece of scholarship that pulls back the curtain to reveal a national disgrace.”

Joe Soss, University of Minnesota

“This book is bold, ambitious, and scholarly, and paints an alarming picture of disadvantage and marginalization of a group of women in the 21st century. I warmly recommend this important and ground-breaking work.”

Work, Employment and Society