By focusing on Chicago?s first generation of activist professors, Diner shows how modern public policy evolved. Chicago?s early academic professionals, believing that they alone could solve the problems of a complex urban society, united to press for reforms in education, criminal justice, social welfare, and municipal administration. By claiming professional autonomy, they established the university firmly in American society and were able to affect it profoundly. Originally published in 1980. A UNC Press Enduring Edition ? UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.