48 Matching Annotations
  1. Nov 2023
    1. In the West, social welfare guarantees everyone a place to sleep, food, and free education.
      • for: social welfare

      • comment

        • not universally true in the West.
  2. Sep 2023
    1. Wills, Garry. “After 54 Great Books, 102 Great Ideas, Now—Count Them !—Three Revolutions.” The New York Times, June 13, 1971, sec. BR. https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/13/archives/the-common-sense-of-politics-by-mortimer-j-adler-265-pp-new-york.html

      It's not super obvious from the digitized context (text), but this review is in relation to The Common Sense of Politics (1971) by Mortimer J. Adler.

      Wills criticizes Adler and his take in the book as well as the general enterprise of the Great Books of the Western World.

      There seem to be interesting sparks here in the turn of the Republican party in the early 70s moving into the coming Reagan era.

    2. Adler's record of ineptness is pret ty good so far — but he surpasses it with his third Revolution. He dis likes both Marxists and Moscow, so how did the Russian Revolution be come one of the great sources or change in modern society? Because “with the Russian Revolution, we have, for the first time, the emer gence of the welfare state” — mild offspring sired from such ferocious parents. In the past, only right‐wing kooks thought F.D.R. derived his in spiration for W.P.A. from the Bol shies!

      Reference to the "welfare state" in 1971 by Gary Wills.

  3. Jul 2023
    1. Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.), and—

      From Title 7-AGRICULTURE CHAPTER 54-TRANSPORTATION, SALE, AND HANDLING OF CERTAIN ANIMALS

      §2131. Congressional statement of policy The Congress finds that animals and activities which are regulated under this chapter are either in interstate or foreign commerce or substantially affect such commerce or the free flow thereof, and that regulation of animals and activities as provided in this chapter is necessary to prevent and eliminate burdens upon such commerce and to effectively regulate such commerce, in order-

      (1) to insure that animals intended for use in research facilities or for exhibition purposes or for use as pets are provided humane care and treatment;

      (2) to assure the humane treatment of animals during transportation in commerce; and

      (3) to protect the owners of animals from the theft of their animals by preventing the sale or use of animals which have been stolen.

      The Congress further finds that it is essential to regulate, as provided in this chapter, the transportation, purchase, sale, housing, care, handling, and treatment of animals by carriers or by persons or organizations engaged in using them for research or experimental purposes or for exhibition purposes or holding them for sale as pets or for any such purpose or use.

      ( Pub. L. 89–544, §1(b), formerly §1, Aug. 24, 1966, 80 Stat. 350 ; Pub. L. 91–579, §2, Dec. 24, 1970, 84 Stat. 1560 ; renumbered and amended Pub. L. 94–279, §2, Apr. 22, 1976, 90 Stat. 417 .)

  4. Sep 2022
    1. Unemployed workers are much more likelyto fall into poverty in countries like the United States, Canada, and Japan,compared with countries such as the Netherlands and Iceland.

      Is part of this effect compounded by America's history of the Protestant work ethic (see Max Weber)?

      Do the wealthy/powerful benefit by this structure of penalizing the unemployed this way? Is there a direct benefit to them? Or perhaps the penalty creates a general downward pressure on overall wages and thus provides an indirect benefit to those in power?

      What are the underlying reasons we tax the unemployed this way?

    2. The cost of child poverty is not just borne by the poor. When the expenses related tolost productivity, crime, and poor health are added up, it is estimated that child povertycosts the nation between $800 billion and $1.1 trillion per year. This is vastly higherthan the estimated $90 to $111 billion per year it would take to implement a programpackage that would lift half of children out of poverty.

      The savings indicated here is almost a factor of 10! How can we not be doing this?

      Compare with statistics and descriptions from Why Fewer American Children Are Living in Poverty (New York Times, The Daily, 2022-09-26)

    3. Or, take the case of unemployment as described by sociologist C. WrightMills:When, in a city of 100,000, only one man is unemployed, that is his per-sonal trouble, and for its relief we properly look to the character of theman, his skills, and his immediate opportunities. But when in a nation of50 million employees, 15 million men are unemployed, that is an issue, and

      we may not hope to find its solution within the range of opportunities open to any one individual. The very structure of opportunities has collapsed. Both the correct statement of the problem and the range of possible solutions require us to consider the economic and political institutions of the society, and not merely the personal situation and character of a scatter of individuals.16

      1. C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination (New York: Oxford University Press, 1959), p. 9.

      I love this quote and it's interesting food for thought.

      Framing problems from the perspectives of a single individual versus a majority of people can be a powerful tool.

      The idea of the "welfare queen" was possibly too powerful because it singled out an imaginary individual rather than focusing on millions of people with a variety of backgrounds and diversity. Compare this with the fundraisers for impoverished children in Sally Stuther's Christian Children's Fund (aka ChildFund) which, while they show thousands of people in trouble, quite often focus on one individual child. This helps to personalize the plea and the charity actually assigned each donor a particular child they were helping out.

      How might this set up be used in reverse to change the perspective and opinions of those who think the "welfare queen" is a real thing instead of a problematic trope?

    4. means- tested welfare program (e.g., Supplemental Nutrition AssistanceProgram [SNAP], Medicaid

      What does the full list of available means-tested programs look like?

    5. Welfare programs are generally considered those in whichan individual has to be below a certain income and asset level and fall into aparticular population group in order to be eligible. These are also known asmeans- tested programs, with individuals only able to participate if their incomeand assets are low enough to qualify.7
    6. Mark Robert Rank

      https://sociology.wustl.edu/people/mark-rank

      Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare Washington University in Saint Louis,

  5. Jun 2022
    1. The Invention of the Welfare State: Education,Health Care, and Social Security

      Welfare state has largely been given a negative connotation in America beginning roughly in the 1980s during the Reagan administration.

      Will Piketty continue this negative tone here?

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  6. Dec 2021
    1. Peruvian letters which was supposedly the letters home by a captured Inca princess who's trapped in France and they're commenting on French society and this is later remembered it 00:50:03 comes out in his late 1740s um it's later remembered as the first book which suggested the idea of the welfare state

      The 1747 book Letters of a Peruvian Woman by the prominent saloniste Madame de Graffigny, which viewed French society through the eyes of an imaginary kidnapped Inca princess, is remembered as the first book to suggest the idea of the welfare state.

  7. Jul 2021
  8. www.ubiquitypress.com www.ubiquitypress.com
    1. Education, at all levels and in its many forms, is experiencing significant social and economic pressure to change

      Is this change related to the general pressure on the welfare state caused by the 2008 financial crash and the 2020 pandemic?

  9. Mar 2021
    1. In the Camerer, Loewenstein and Weber's article, it is mentioned that the setting closest in structure to the market experiments done would be underwriting, a task in which well-informed experts price goods that are sold to a less-informed public. Investment bankers value securities, experts taste cheese, store buyers observe jewelry being modeled, and theater owners see movies before they are released. They then sell those goods to a less-informed public. If they suffer from the curse of knowledge, high-quality goods will be overpriced and low-quality goods underpriced relative to optimal, profit-maximizing prices; prices will reflect characteristics (e.g., quality) that are unobservable to uninformed buyers ("you get what you pay for").[5] The curse of knowledge has a paradoxical effect in these settings. By making better-informed agents think that their knowledge is shared by others, the curse helps alleviate the inefficiencies that result from information asymmetries (a better informed party having an advantage in a bargaining situation), bringing outcomes closer to complete information. In such settings, the curse on individuals may actually improve social welfare.

      How might one exploit this effect to more proactively improve and promote social welfare?

    1. Decerf, B., Ferreira, F. H. G., Mahler, D. G., & Sterck, O. (2020). Lives and Livelihoods: Estimates of the Global Mortality and Poverty Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic. IZA Discussion Paper, 13549.

  10. Feb 2021
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  12. Dec 2020
  13. Oct 2020
    1. Debates about how to structure these programs have long been influenced by a related economic assumption: The more people really need a benefit, the more effort they’ll put into getting it. “For decades, economists had this view that burdens could quote-‘help’ separate out those that are what one calls truly disadvantaged versus those who might be more marginally needy,” said Hilary Hoynes, a professor of public policy and economics at the University of California, Berkeley. “Our current research suggests it could be exactly the opposite.” These burdens, she suggested, may instead be tripping up the worst off: hourly workers who can’t shuffle their schedules for a meeting; parents dealing with domestic violence, disabilities or low literacy; families without bank accounts to automate monthly payments; households already facing unpaid bills and late notices when another urgent letter arrives in the mail.
  14. Sep 2020
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  20. Feb 2020
    1. It can be easier to apply for farm subsidies than it is to get SNAP benefits, said Joel Berg, a former official with the Department of Agriculture, the agency that administers both programs.
  21. Oct 2019
    1. 7-Eleven moves to support animal welfare By Nick Hall | 17 Feb 2019 View comments Global convenience chain, 7-Eleven has made major changes to its supplier sourcing agreement, eliminating caged eggs for the first time. The move follows ongoing criticism of the Australian cage egg farming industry, with several brands and chains making the early decision to move to wholly sustainable sourcing in-line with welfare standards. Working closely with suppliers across all states, 7-Eleven has now ensured that only free range eggs would be available for order by all stores. Clayton Ford, General Manager Corporate Affairs, 7-Eleven said the decision to phase out cage eggs was developed in accordance with franchisee wishes, with the convenience giant announcing it will increase support to assist in the transition. “Whilst our franchisees are free to engage with alternative suppliers due to our franchise agreement, we will continue to work alongside them to encourage their involvement in this initiative by sourcing free range eggs via our centralised supply chain,” Ford said. “We recognise that this is just one step, and we will continue to review animal welfare commitments in our supply chain and 7-Eleven branded products as opportunities arise.” Want to launch a convenience store of your own? Take a look at all available franchising opportunities here.
  22. Sep 2018
    1. welfare support

      Implement a timely response of welfare support linked to slow-downs of industries that involve numerous workers in given communities

  23. May 2017
  24. Jan 2017
    1. a number of studies have found that people on welfare, black Americans included, feel that people take advantage of the system and receive benefits when they should not

      Protestant work ethic shit, undermining social safety nets for all.

  25. Apr 2016
    1. The Finnish government is currently drawing up plans to introduce a national basic income. A final proposal won’t be presented until November 2016, but if all goes to schedule, Finland will scrap all existing benefits and instead hand out €800 ($870) per month—to everyone.
  26. Aug 2015
    1. The Nordic Model: Pros and Cons
      • Social benefits like free education, healthcare and pensions.
      • Redistributive taxation.
      • Relaxed employment laws.
      • History in family-driven agriculture. Culture of small entrepreneurial enterprises.
      • High rates of taxation.