Financing the Welfare State: Elite Politics and the Decline of the Social Insurance Model in America
Name
Campbell Morgan 2005 Financing Welfare State SAPD.pdf
Size
799.17 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
8975c6126a42a357cea2cc06aa37768b
Author(s)
Campbell, Andrea Louise
Morgan, Kimberly J.
Date Issued
October 2005
Journal
Studies in American Political Development
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Citation
Campbell, Andrea Louise and Morgan, Kimberly J. 2005. "Financing the Welfare State: Elite Politics and the Decline of the Social Insurance Model in America." Studies in American Political Development, 19 (2).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
While there is a vast and rich literature on the benefits and services provided by the welfare state, few scholars have investigated how these programs are financed. The tax side of the budget equation is crucial for the ability of welfare states to exist and expand; without a stable and growing source of revenues, the welfare state can neither meet its existing obligations nor increase its responsibilities. The mode of finance can be particularly important, as some taxes are more visible or contested, and thus more difficult to raise. For example, because there are limits to how much revenue can be raised with progressive income taxes, many industrialized countries finance large social programs through contributory finance, that is, payroll taxes. Levied over a broad swath of the population, these taxes generate a large amount of revenue, yet are politically acceptable because people see them as payments that entitle them to benefits in return.
Subjects
Sociology and Political Science
History
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Political Science
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0898588x05000118
