ABSTRACT
Welfare—Public Aid to the Poor—Comes with Capitalism. The market forces that create economic growth and a tide of winners also create recessions and the occasional losers who need assistance. But since the creation of the English poor laws in the 14th century, welfare programs have been controversial. While they reduce insecurity, they also cost taxpayers money and reduce reliance on work and the family as sources of economic support. This inherent tension has, at different points in U.S. history, fueled intense debates. Welfare policy inevitably forces a choice between our values of compassion and community on the one hand and self-reliance and self-interest on the other. As a result, the generosity of welfare programs fluctuates with the resolution of each round of reform.
