Maximum Feasible Misunderstanding: A Review Article

Abstract

The War on Poverty is generating the predictable volume of commentary, appraisal, and interpretation. The definitive literature on this unique social experience is still to come, but meanwhile a bulky and diverse accumulation of writings is building. There have been memoirs, and there will be more, of men and women who were close to the program at some stage or in some aspect-policy formulation, program design, or administration. There will be historical studies, drawing together personal recollections and official documentation. There will be scholarly review and evaluation of the ideas underlying the program. It is to be hoped there will be systematic research analyses, as many as can be made from cold administrative records and sparse operating data. Such studies are sorely needed for an objective assessment of administrative strategy, of the validity of operating assumptions and styles, and, of course, of the impact upon poverty as a persistent condition in an affluent society. Daniel P. Moynihan's Maximum Feasible Misunderstanding has a strong memoir flavor. He was, after all, closely involved in the development of the initial legislation for the program. He was, and is, a concerned and sensitive observer-participant in the formulation of national anti-poverty strategy. It may be that his observations are somewhat skewed by his personal involvements, his viewpoints influenced by his national government perspective and his intimate knowledge of the New York City experience with the program in being. But the book may well be a turning point in the current literature on poverty and, as such, merits careful reading and sober reflection. Other authors have explored aspects of the condition of poverty and the theoret-