Scandalous Politics

"Gainsborough's book deserves to be a classic text because it sheds light on an under-studied area of social policy...I recommend this work to anyone interested in the politics of social policy production and to anyone who wants to make a constructive difference to the lives of vulnerable children and their families."—Australian Review of Public Affairs

"Thorough exploration of an understudied, but theoretically and substantively important, area of state and federal policy. ... The greatest contribution of the book is the way she deftly weaves her quantitative analysis with her qualitative case studies so that is is complementary rather than competitive."—Perspectives on Politics

"Juliet Gainsborough successfully applies an analytical lens to the heavily value-laden domain of policymaking for abused and neglected children.The author effectively provides the detail, nuance, and complexity of the relationship between child welfare scandals and the politics of policymaking."—Political Science Quarterly

"Scandalous Politics calls attention to one of the most significant concerns in child welfare policymaking: the dysfunctionality of state child welfare agencies and the extent to which state officials, knowing that the public's attention is drawn to scandal, respond with corrective legislation and additional resources. Gainsborough does an excellent job of delving into child welfare scandals, focusing on the effect of the scandals on agency reform as government officials struggle to 'fix' the agency's myriad problems."—Susan Gluck Mezey, Department of Political Science, Loyola University Chicago

"A fascinating account of how politicians, journalists, and interest groups respond to child welfare scandals. Thoughtful, probing, and illuminating."—William T. Gormley, University Professor and Co-Director, Center for Research on Children in the U.S. (CROCUS), Georgetown University