Tom Clark, “When it comes to our welfare system, we’ve lost the plot”

by | Sep 13, 2014 | Research

The author discusses the history and current state of various safety net programs in Britain, as well as possible improvements and solutions, such as the “citizen’s income” proposed by the organization Compass.

Tom Clark, “When it comes to our welfare system, we’ve lost the plot”, The Guardian, 27 July 2014

A protest outside the London offices of Love Productions, which made the TV programme Benefits Street. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian

A protest outside the London offices of Love Productions, which made the TV programme Benefits Street. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian

Jesse Walker, “Making the Welfare State Less Intrusive”

by | Aug 7, 2014 | Research

[Josh Martin]

Walker’s post is in response to the Cato Unbound debate on the basic income which was kicked off by Zwolinski’s lead essay on the libertarian argument for the basic income.  Walker adds to the discussion with two well-informed points.  First, while Zwolinski hopes for a basic income that can replace the welfare state, Walker finds that improbable and instead argues for reform to cashify multiple programs into one cash benefit.  Instead of housing, food, and health assistance, Walker suggests combining them into one assistance cash benefit.  Second, Walker calls on basic income debates to remember to include discussions on natural resource based dividends like the Alaska Permanent Fund.  Walker believes these programs to be an excellent real-world example of a basic income, even though it is rarely seen as a welfare program.

Jesse Walker, “Making the Welfare State Less Intrusive”, Reason, 5 August 2014.

Walker responds to Cato Unbound's debate on the basic income

Walker responds to Cato Unbound's debate on the basic income