ABSTRACT
The proportion will differ from country to country and from period to period according to circumstances. If benefits are increased substantially or if the scope of social security is widened, the proportion will increase. In a period of inflation, if benefits are not adjusted upwards in relation to the fall in the purchasing power of money or the rise in the cost of living, there will be a fall in the real value of the benefits and in the proportion they form of the national dividend. The distribution of social security expenditures is significant in indicating the political and social attitudes, policies and conditions in the various countries. In the United States the absence of family allowances is a noteworthy gap in providing basic security. Several calculations have already been made of the proportion of the national income of various countries spent on social security in recent years, and the information will be reviewed.
