Losing ground

In 'Losing Ground,' Charles A. Murray argues that the ambitious social programs of the 1960s and 1970s, intended to alleviate poverty, actually made matters worse for their supposed beneficiaries.

Murray contends that increased government spending on welfare led to higher unemployment, declining education quality, increased crime, and the breakdown of families.

He suggests that these programs created incentives for behaviors that were destructive in the long term and advocates for the abolition of certain welfare programs and a return to more traditional social policies.