Tag: welfare
Can limited forms of welfare enhance freedom in the short term?
May 26, 2022 | Post
Unfortunately, a free market is not something that appears overnight, so what do we say to those who do not have equal opportunities as things stand?
Highlights from our Reddit AMA with Professor Bryan Caplan
June 28, 2017 | Post
“From the evidence I’ve seen, propaganda works – though not nearly as well as the propagandists would hope.”
Entitlements driving Washington to trillion-dollar deficits
March 29, 2017 | Post
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently released the “The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2017 to 2027.” This annual report provides the federal government’s most comprehensive analysis of the current state of federal spending, taxes, and debt. It also provides a framework within which to analyze the President’s budget proposal and upcoming Congressional legislation. The news is […]
Why libertarians should oppose the Universal Basic Income
March 24, 2017 | Post
Here’s my opening statement for my Students for Liberty debate with Will Wilkinson. Enjoy. Libertarians have a standard set of fundamental criticisms of the welfare state. Forced charity is unjust. Individuals have a moral right to decide if and when they want to help others. Forced charity is unnecessary. In a free market, voluntary donations […]
Entitlement reform key to fixing America’s fiscal future
March 18, 2017 | Post
Without substantive entitlement reform, it will be exceedingly difficult to address the country’s long-term fiscal problems, and it will only get harder if needed changes are delayed.
The many faces of means-testing
February 19, 2017 | Post
Isn’t a Universal Basic Income just another name for a negative income tax, such as Tax = -$10,000 + .3*Income? If so, isn’t a Universal Basic Income means-tested by definition?
Better market-oriented proposals that reduce income inequality
February 15, 2017 | Post
I was initially excited to see that progressive Dean Baker has written a piece on “Eight Market-Oriented Proposals That Reduce Income Inequality” for AEI. It begins promisingly by criticizing overly strict occupational licensing for high-skilled workers. But it then studiously avoids the really big wins. Namely: 1. Immigration. High-skilled immigration reduces conventionally measured inequality by […]
The welfare state is a (bad) polygamist
October 20, 2016 | Post
The road to tyranny is paved with good intentions.
Volunteer Work Reveals The Inefficiencies of Government Aid
October 5, 2016 | Post
Cumbersome, top-down aid policies are not agile enough to effectively respond to the diverse needs of our communities.
A Proposal to Reform Welfare and Rebuild American Community
September 26, 2016 | Post
Local communities have a better understanding of their communities’ needs than far off centralized government anti-poverty directives.
The Welfare Cliff and Why Many Low-Income Workers Will Never Overcome Poverty
August 24, 2016 | Post
Policies backed with even the best of intentions can still have detrimental effects on those they aim to help. The “Welfare Cliff” is one such example.
There's One Really Obvious Problem with Universal Basic Income
May 22, 2016 | Post
Social Security is incredibly difficult for politicians to cut or reform—any changes in the program would deprive a large portion of their voting base of benefits, which could cause politicians to lose the next election. The problem would only be worse with a universal basic income,
Finland’s Plan to Fight Unemployment by Giving Everybody Cash
December 11, 2015 | Post
There’s a very good chance that Finland will become the first country to implement a nationwide Universal Basic Income (UBI). The country’s Social Insurance Institution (Kela) is studying proposals to replace most of its existing welfare state programs with a simple cash grant – 800 euros for every Finnish citizen, regardless of whether they work, […]
Discussion Question: Immigration
November 27, 2015 | Post
What might be reasons to restrict immigration to the United States? Can we justifiably refuse entry to immigrants on the fear that they will receive welfare but not work in return? Would that, then, justify kicking American citizens out of the country if they do not meet a certain standard? Give us your two cents […]