From across the political and ideological spectrum, there is now almost universal acknowledgement that the American social welfare system has been a failure. Since the start of the War on Poverty in 1965, the United States has spent trillions trying to ease the plight of the poor. What we have received for that massive investment is—primarily— more poverty.

Our welfare system is unfair to everyone: to taxpayers, who must pick up the bill for failed programs; to society, whose mediating institutions of community, church, and family are increasingly pushed aside; and most of all to the poor themselves, who are trapped in a system that destroys opportunity for them and hope for their children.

More on Welfare

Commentary

SNAP Theatrics Fall Flat

By Michael D. Tanner. National Review (Online). June 26, 2013.

A Miracle Happened Last Week in Washington: Congress Failed to Mulct the Citizenry

By Doug Bandow. Forbes. June 24, 2013.

Welfare Shouldn’t Ruin Immigration Reform

By Alex Nowrasteh. Roll Call. June 14, 2013.

Cato Studies

The American Welfare State: How We Spend Nearly $1 Trillion a Year Fighting Poverty—And Fail

By Michael D. Tanner. Policy Analysis No. 694. April 11, 2012.

What Can the United States Learn from the Nordic Model?

By Daniel J. Mitchell. Policy Analysis No. 603. November 5, 2007.

KidSave: Real Problem, Wrong Solution

By Michael D. Tanner and Jagadeesh Gokhale. Policy Analysis No. 562. January 24, 2006.

Reviews & Journals

Canada’s Fiscal Reforms

Chris Edwards. Cato Journal. Spring/Summer 2013.

The Welfare State as an Underlying Cause of Spain’s Debt Crisis

Pedro Schwartz. Cato Journal. Spring/Summer 2013.

American and European Welfare States: Similar Causes, Similar Effects

Pierre Lemieux. Cato Journal. Spring/Summer 2013.

Events

Disability Insurance: The New Welfare?

Featuring Jagadeesh Gokhale and Michael D. Tanner. June 19, 2013. Policy Forum.

The End Is Near and It’s Going to Be Awesome: How Going Broke Will Leave America Richer, Happier, and More Secure

Featuring Kevin Williamson and Michael D. Tanner. May 23, 2013. Book Forum.

The Welfare State We’re In

Featuring Michael D. Tanner. May 18, 2009. Book Forum.

Downsizing the Federal Government

Employment and Training Programs: Ineffective and Unneeded

By Chris Edwards and Daniel Murphy. June 2011.

Failures of the Unemployment Insurance System

By Chris Edwards and George C. Leef. June 2011.

Trade Adjustment Assistance

By Sallie James. May 2011.