ABSTRACT

William Vickrey gave little thought to the subject of this article---the welfare state and its relationship to full employment.! In Vickrey's view, full employment would obviate some of the mess that the welfare state would otherwise have to mop up, that is, the direct and indirect consequences of unemployment---crime, poverty, homelessness, and sickness. His position on the budget deficit--that balancing the budget would not only retard economic growth but hurt the people who need social services-implies support for the welfare state. On the other hand, though he preferred borrowing for health care to investing in space stations, he said in "Today's Task for Economists" (1993) that either would serve the primary goal of "income recycling," a statement hat suggests he thought of the welfare state primarily as a fiscal stimulus. Nonetheless, in supporting and working closely with the National Jobs for All Coalition, Vickrey accepted its position that a welfare state, albeit one different from one that is burdened by unemployment and its attendant ills, is an integral part of a strategy for economic justice. There is no doubt, however, that Vickrey's principal, overriding interest was full employment, or what he liked to call "chock-full employment."