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The United States: welfare, work and development
Author(s) -
Midgley James
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
international journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 1369-6866
DOI - 10.1111/1468-2397.00185
Subject(s) - poverty , underclass , welfare reform , work (physics) , incentive , welfare , harm , social welfare , economics , economic growth , social policy , social work , investment (military) , development economics , public economics , political science , market economy , mechanical engineering , engineering , politics , law
It has long been claimed that social welfare programmes harm economic development. These programmes, it is alleged, depress work incentives, divert scarce investment resources to ‘unproductive’ social services and create a large underclass of dependent individuals. Welfare reform in the United States intends to reverse these allegedly negative economic effects by requiring welfare clients to work. It also hopes to reduce poverty. This article examines these claims. It discusses the welfare reform programme and concludes that its impact on both economic development and poverty has been minimal. Policies that transcend the current obsession with work, promote sustained economic development and invest in human capabilities are more likely to succeed.