The hottest Welfare state Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top U.S. Politics Topics

Don't overthink poverty in the United States

Slow Boring • 5660 implied HN points • 14 Mar 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Welfare state
  1. The US welfare state programs are effective but not generous enough, which leads to high poverty rates.
  2. Official poverty measurements may not accurately reflect the impact of anti-poverty programs, resulting in a lack of recognition for progress made in poverty reduction.
  3. Conservative ideas about poverty often focus on high market wages as the solution, ignoring the realities of different vulnerable populations and the effectiveness of welfare programs.

Lessons of the Ukraine War

David Friedman’s Substack • 467 implied HN points • 29 Nov 25
🌍 World Politics Welfare state
  1. Ukraine proved to be much stronger than expected, surprising many who thought Russia would easily win.
  2. Russia also showed unexpected resilience, maintaining its economy and military strength despite ongoing sanctions and war costs.
  3. Drones became key weapons in the conflict, showing that advanced technology from NATO countries wasn't as decisive as thought.

Temple monkeys

Wyclif's Dust • 3219 implied HN points • 19 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Welfare state
  1. Monkeys at temples in India and Bali can be a nuisance, stealing food and belongings, but they're considered sacred and can't be harmed.
  2. Living close to social issues can be uncomfortable, as it exposes people to the struggles and misery of those less fortunate.
  3. The welfare state often supports those in need, but it can create tension and discomfort for others who see it as a burden rather than a support system.

Bigger State Doesn’t Mean Bigger Bureaucracy

Erik Examines • 358 implied HN points • 30 Jun 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Welfare state
  1. A bigger government doesn't always mean more bureaucracy. Sometimes, more money just flows through the same systems without needing extra workers.
  2. Smaller governments can create more confusion by pushing tasks to local groups or private companies, leading to more regulations and complexity.
  3. Clear standards and smart designs in government can help manage complexity better than just trying to shrink the size of the state.

Free money: Milton Friedman, unconditional income, and the neoliberal inheritance

Hypertext • 179 implied HN points • 15 Nov 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Welfare state
  1. Milton Friedman advocated for an unconditional negative income tax to create an income floor for all Americans.
  2. Friedrich Hayek and other intellectuals support the concept of a negative income tax or Universal Basic Income.
  3. The idea of a negative income tax failed in the past due to societal views of 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor, but there is potential for revisiting and implementing it now.
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Ending the Welfare State is Not the End of the World

Bet On It • 332 implied HN points • 02 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Welfare state
  1. The welfare state often focuses more on helping relatively poor people at home rather than the absolutely poor people abroad. This shows a disconnect in truly helping those in need worldwide.
  2. There are different views on whether to prioritize helping the domestic poor or the global poor. It's possible for decent people to disagree on these priorities without labeling each other as hypocrites.
  3. Ending the welfare state wouldn't be catastrophic. In fact, there's an argument for letting people solve their own poverty through work opportunities, rather than relying solely on welfare.

Measuring Redistribution

David Friedman’s Substack • 224 implied HN points • 02 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Welfare state
  1. Measuring how much wealth is redistributed in society is complicated because people's incomes can change a lot over their lifetime. A person might be considered poor at one point and rich at another, which makes it hard to classify them in studies.
  2. Figuring out who actually pays taxes can be tricky. For example, corporate taxes affect not just shareholders but also employees and customers, so it’s hard to pin down who truly bears the burden of these taxes.
  3. The increase in income inequality might come from factors outside of government policies. Things like changes in job value over time or how people marry within their social class can affect overall wealth distribution.

The Friedman-lite welfare state and how to make the most of it

Hypertext • 99 implied HN points • 15 Nov 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Welfare state
  1. Milton Friedman's idea of a negative income tax failed to gain political traction, but it paved the way for modern welfare state reforms focusing on refundable child tax credits and in-work tax credits to support low-income households.
  2. Despite the global spread of ideas related to negative income tax, most rich democracies, including the United States, struggle with implementing it due to cultural distinctions between deserving and undeserving poor.
  3. Friedman's concept of a negative income tax still holds promise, but its success is hindered not just by economic considerations, but also by political, institutional, and sociological factors that need to be addressed when designing welfare policies.