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This work is a theoretically informed political history of the development of the US social security system over more than five decades. When initiated in 1935, social security was a noteworthy experiment in social policy, and its endurance, inviolability, and taken-for-granted nature are evidence of its success. In this volume, the author analyzes key turning points in its history in order to explain this success. A second major concern of the book is to explore the often contradictory interpretations of the relationship between the development of social security and the role of the state. The author's interpretation knits together insights from major sociological theories to fashion a dynamic explanation of the development of social security, one that acknowledges the economic, political, and cultural context. This theoretical framework also permits an examination of the way in which various groups can influence political change.