That's Not What We Meant to Do: Reform and Its Unintended Consequences in the Twentieth Century

by Steven M. Gillon

Takes a tour of the century's reforms and legal innovation--federal welfare policy, community mental health, immigration, and campaign finance reform, to name a few--and describes the unintended consequences of their enactment.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2000

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author started by writing an article, and because it was fun to write and people liked it, he wrote the book. The amusement that the process took for him may explain why the book does so much of random quoting without context, and ultimately a sad lack of profundity. It's not that there is no insight at all, but it could have been much more.

My biggest lesson was probably in talking about welfare legislation, it is revealed that part of why it didn't work as intended was that the existing need was much greater than anticipated. That often led to anger from opposing parties, though that is not a helpful response.

And that is the thing that is missing most of all: good analysis of the opposing forces and their motivations, and the role that plays in difficulty moving forward.

The other thing that seems worth noting in the chapter on campaign finance reform was that while the loopholes had an educated public in mind, they were probably trying to solve the wrong problem anyway, as the high spending levels do not make anyone more educated.

[Belston Campfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We got into this with the best of intentions..."

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steven M. Gillon's study should become a "classic work" in short order as he gives us five key case studies where the intent behind the policies of campaign finance reform, immigration, civil rights, mental health and welfare were sound, but the practical application of these five acts has done anything but what they were intended to do.

Gillon's narrative is well-researched and balanced. He does not take sides with either the Republicans or Democrats but presents a balanced approach to understanding the issues from both points of view. The neutral tone in a political book is a goldmine as readers from both political persuasions will get something out of this.

I think an unintended consequence of this book is a damnation of the Lyndon Johnson Administration for rushing their plans through Congress without considering the long-term implication. All five of the Acts had some connection to the Johnson Administration, including the campaign reform act of 1974, since the founder of Common Cause was a former Johnson Administration official. My conclusion from this book is that the "Great Society" programs were not so great after all.

[Jim Dressner · Rating 4 out of 5]

You'd expect a book on 20th century history of liberal social policies to be boring, but this well-written book traces the flow of ideas, politics and consequences with a pleasant brevity and a clear focus on important details. Surprisingly readable and good for getting an overview of how we arrived at the current state. Chapters cover topics like welfare, affirmative action, political campaign financing, and others.