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{ "item_title" : "The Welfare Assembly Line", "item_author" : [" Josh Seim "], "item_description" : "Despite claims that we live in a post-welfare society, welfare offices remain vital not only for those who depend on them for benefits but also for those who depend on them for a paycheck. This book, a theory-driven case study of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, examines how welfare work has transformed to allow a department of just 14,000 to serve more than a third of the county. Josh Seim argues that frontline workers at this agency--who are mostly Black and Brown women--have become increasingly proletarianized. Their work is defined less by their discretion and more by a lack of control over the productive process. This is enabled by a welfare assembly line, where a high division of labor and heavy use of machinery resemble production regimes in factories and fast-food restaurants. With implications beyond the welfare office, The Welfare Assembly Line is a crucial addition to the broader national conversation about work, social policy, and poverty governance.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers1.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/0/52/040/416/0520404165_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "29.95", "online_price" : "29.95", "our_price" : "29.95", "club_price" : "29.95", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }
The Welfare Assembly Line|Josh Seim

The Welfare Assembly Line : Public Servants in the Suffering City

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Overview

Despite claims that we live in a "post-welfare society," welfare offices remain vital not only for those who depend on them for benefits but also for those who depend on them for a paycheck. This book, a theory-driven case study of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, examines how welfare work has transformed to allow a department of just 14,000 to serve more than a third of the county. Josh Seim argues that frontline workers at this agency--who are mostly Black and Brown women--have become increasingly proletarianized. Their work is defined less by their discretion and more by a lack of control over the productive process. This is enabled by a "welfare assembly line," where a high division of labor and heavy use of machinery resemble production regimes in factories and fast-food restaurants. With implications beyond the welfare office, The Welfare Assembly Line is a crucial addition to the broader national conversation about work, social policy, and poverty governance.

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Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780520404168
  • ISBN-10: 0520404165
  • Publisher: University of California Press
  • Publish Date: February 2026
  • Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 0.93 pounds
  • Page Count: 302

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