{"insight":{"id":"113523627","lede":"Specifically, the correlation coefficients with univeralism are -.59 for the Gini Index, .73 for public social expenditures, .67 for the redistribution index, and .56 for poverty reduction.","slug":"higher-welfare-universalism-is-positively-correlated-with-redistribution-poverty","title":"Higher welfare universalism is positively correlated with redistribution, poverty reduction, and social expenditures, while negatively correlated with inequality levels.","showTitleAsQuote":false,"epistemicStatus":"empirical","reports":[{"id":"19519421","title":"Basic Income","slug":"basic-income"}],"tags":[{"slug":"welfare","name":"Welfare","id":"23933425","lede":"

Welfare refers to government-sponsored assistance programs intended to ensure that all members of society can meet their basic needs. Examples include social insurance, Medicaid, and disability insurance.

\n\n

The vast majority of welfare spending goes to those who cannot actively participate in the labor market, including children, the elderly, and the disabled.

\n","ledeExcerpt":"Welfare refers to government-sponsored assistance programs intended to ensure that all members of society can meet their basic needs. Examples include social insurance, Medicaid, and disability insurance.\n\nThe vast majority of welfare spending goes to those who cannot actively participate in the labor market, including children, the elderly, and the disabled.","featured":true},{"slug":"redistribution","name":"Redistribution","id":"74016537","lede":"","ledeExcerpt":"","featured":null},{"slug":"poverty","name":"Poverty","id":"100414757","lede":"

Despite consistent reductions in global poverty over the decades, even centuries, there remains a stubborn relationship between progress and the persistence of poverty.

\n\n

In 2021, the poverty line for an individual was in income of $12,880 per year. The threshold rises to $17,420 for a two-person household, $21,960 for three, and $26,500 for four.

\n\n

In 2019, the U.S. poverty rate was 10.5% (34 million Americans), down from 11.8% in 2018.

\n","ledeExcerpt":"Despite consistent reductions in global poverty over the decades, even centuries, there remains a stubborn relationship between progress and the persistence of poverty.\n\nIn 2021, the poverty line for an individual was in income of $12,880 per year. The threshold rises to $17,420 for a two-person household, $21,960 for three, and $26,500 for four.","featured":true},{"slug":"inequality","name":"Inequality","id":"69359341","lede":"","ledeExcerpt":"","featured":null},{"slug":"stability","name":"Stability","id":"23916385","lede":"

We define stability as the resiliency, robustness, and constancy of our nested social, financial, and environmental systems. Stability is the degree to which our systems can withstand stress and maintain their functionality over time.

\n\n

Why do we need stability? All else equal, a stable society is preferable to an unstable society. Stability - the product of the harmonious interaction between parts, or interwoven systems - protects against uncertainty and decay. For example, a healthy body regulates its blood glucose levels to provide cells with their required energy. Too much glucose makes cells sticky, with a paralyzing effect. Too little glucose starves them. What's important is the constancy of glucose regulation within functional limits, and the resiliency to maintain this regulation amidst adversity.

\n\n

Instability occurs when systems transgress functional limits, causing the breakdown of other systems and suffering for those who depend on them. When interlocking systems remain stable, they provide a fertile foundation for positive expectations that fuel investments in progress and broad cooperation throughout society.

\n","ledeExcerpt":"We define stability as the resiliency, robustness, and constancy of our nested social, financial, and environmental systems. Stability is the degree to which our systems can withstand stress and maintain their functionality over time. \n\nWhy do we need stability? All else equal, a stable society is preferable to an unstable society. Stability - the product of the harmonious interaction between parts, or interwoven systems - protects against uncertainty and decay. For example, a healthy body regulates its blood glucose levels to provide cells with their required energy. Too much glucose makes cells sticky, with a paralyzing effect. Too little glucose starves them. What's important is the constancy of glucose regulation within functional limits, and the resiliency to maintain this regulation amidst adversity.\n\nInstability occurs when systems transgress functional limits, causing the breakdown of other systems and suffering for those who depend on them. When interlocking systems remain stable, they provide a fertile foundation for positive expectations that fuel investments in progress and broad cooperation throughout society.","featured":true}],"sources":[{"id":"113523547","lede":"A paper affirming the 'paradox of redistribution': countries achieve more redistribution when they take from all to give to all, rather than when they take specifically from the rich and redistribute to the poor. The authors construct a 'universalism index', and test it across 20 OECD countries. They find support for the paradox in 21st century welfare states.","link":"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0958928717700564","slug":"the-case-for-welfare-state-universalism","kind":"Academic Paper","title":"The Case for Welfare State Universalism","year":"2018-01-01","researchers":[{"id":"113523459","location":"McGill University","name":"Olivier Jacques","seoDescription":"","slug":"olivier-jacques"},{"id":"113523469","location":"Université de Montréal","name":"Alain Noël","seoDescription":"","slug":"alain-noel"}]}]}}