Why is economic mobility so low in the US compared to other developed countries? Weak tax and transfer insurance effects.
themadhatter077 on
For many poor young adults, America’s welfare system is ineffective and means-tested to hell. Think about it this way…there is very little support available for a person who is a single, childless poor adult to actually lift themselves up. We have food stamps and Medicaid (except in states that refused it), but those just help you barely survive. Plus, if you make minimum wage at 40 hours a week, you basically don’t qualify for any welfare even though that job will not life you out of poverty.
Our other welfare programs are for very specific groups, and they still suck for those groups.
1. Unemployment is only for recently laid off employees, is not enough to live on (in CA it’s max $450 a week…wtf), and only lasts up to 6 months.
2. Disability…useless and humiliating application process.
3. Public housing vouchers….10+ year waiting list.
4. WIC…basically only for single moms.
5. Our trade school and apprenticeship programs are shockingly disorganized and uncoordinated with significant waiting lists.
6. Even at universities where poor students don’t pay tuition, they need debt or unfeasible number of jobs to pay for living expenses.
The list goes on….
We need a well-organized income support program for the poor. A unified strategy for job training, apprenticeships, and reform to college education. One model for expanded apprenticeships could for the UK’s system to work placements and technical education. Allow apprenticeships for low-level white collar jobs too. The government should consider capping university tuition similar to the UK and Australia. A UBI should also seriously be considered. Or at least stipends for poor students and apprentices similar to Sweden and Australia.
I grew up in a lower middle income family and struggled through college, working and taking student loans. This would have been a lifesaver. We should become a country that invests in our youth, since success in ages 18-35 is essential for breaking the cycle of poverty.
TouchTheCathyl on
> These studies have yielded important insights, but they overlook one major reason why poverty in the U.S. is so much stickier than in peer countries: Americans born into poverty receive far less government support during their adulthood.
> Imagine a resident of the U.S. and a resident of Denmark who each grew up spending, say, half of their childhood in poverty. Our study finds that both children will be less likely to pursue higher education or work full-time in adulthood compared with children who didn’t grow up poor. But the Dane is more likely to receive unemployment benefits, means-tested income support, or a child allowance and is therefore far less likely to live in poverty as an adult.
Extremely prior confirming. This is a country that is somewhat sympathetic to childcare provisions out of paterfamilias corporatism, but generally considers you a bum the instant you turn 18 in poverty.
There’s no solution for this that doesn’t involve addressing our national trust gap though, the public by and large is not willing to tolerate expansions of the welfare state to able bodied young adults out of a belief that it should be easy for them to just get a job and fear that unemployment benefits that aren’t first earned by paying into social security will be used by 20 year olds to loaf and “gap year” on the taxpayer’s dime.
3 Comments
Why is economic mobility so low in the US compared to other developed countries? Weak tax and transfer insurance effects.
For many poor young adults, America’s welfare system is ineffective and means-tested to hell. Think about it this way…there is very little support available for a person who is a single, childless poor adult to actually lift themselves up. We have food stamps and Medicaid (except in states that refused it), but those just help you barely survive. Plus, if you make minimum wage at 40 hours a week, you basically don’t qualify for any welfare even though that job will not life you out of poverty.
Our other welfare programs are for very specific groups, and they still suck for those groups.
1. Unemployment is only for recently laid off employees, is not enough to live on (in CA it’s max $450 a week…wtf), and only lasts up to 6 months.
2. Disability…useless and humiliating application process.
3. Public housing vouchers….10+ year waiting list.
4. WIC…basically only for single moms.
5. Our trade school and apprenticeship programs are shockingly disorganized and uncoordinated with significant waiting lists.
6. Even at universities where poor students don’t pay tuition, they need debt or unfeasible number of jobs to pay for living expenses.
The list goes on….
We need a well-organized income support program for the poor. A unified strategy for job training, apprenticeships, and reform to college education. One model for expanded apprenticeships could for the UK’s system to work placements and technical education. Allow apprenticeships for low-level white collar jobs too. The government should consider capping university tuition similar to the UK and Australia. A UBI should also seriously be considered. Or at least stipends for poor students and apprentices similar to Sweden and Australia.
I grew up in a lower middle income family and struggled through college, working and taking student loans. This would have been a lifesaver. We should become a country that invests in our youth, since success in ages 18-35 is essential for breaking the cycle of poverty.
> These studies have yielded important insights, but they overlook one major reason why poverty in the U.S. is so much stickier than in peer countries: Americans born into poverty receive far less government support during their adulthood.
> Imagine a resident of the U.S. and a resident of Denmark who each grew up spending, say, half of their childhood in poverty. Our study finds that both children will be less likely to pursue higher education or work full-time in adulthood compared with children who didn’t grow up poor. But the Dane is more likely to receive unemployment benefits, means-tested income support, or a child allowance and is therefore far less likely to live in poverty as an adult.
Extremely prior confirming. This is a country that is somewhat sympathetic to childcare provisions out of paterfamilias corporatism, but generally considers you a bum the instant you turn 18 in poverty.
There’s no solution for this that doesn’t involve addressing our national trust gap though, the public by and large is not willing to tolerate expansions of the welfare state to able bodied young adults out of a belief that it should be easy for them to just get a job and fear that unemployment benefits that aren’t first earned by paying into social security will be used by 20 year olds to loaf and “gap year” on the taxpayer’s dime.