The Argument columnist Matt Bruneig reacts to the characterization of the cash assistance studies in the previous article
It’s a good exchange, I think he lays out his case and where his values diverge from Piper’s pretty clearly. I happen to agree with Bruneig- and Matt Darling’s take that cash transfers are simply a better way to conduct transfers to the extent we do them (fragmented in kind benefits). It’s not magic, just an anti poverty program. Overall I think Bruneig is simply more correct about the purpose, outcomes, and goal of the welfare state.
The problem is America doesn’t have the level of welfare state as the more developed welfare states (eg no child allowance) is piper really so oblivious to make all these claims about how poverty is more complicated when the CTC halved child poverty instantly for 100B a year? And it doubled when it returned? I don’t think she appreciates how much poverty is a structural issue caused by non workers (children, elderly, disabled, etc) half of parents wouldn’t be in poverty had they not had kids. The Welfare State is the only solution that can solve this problem.
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The Argument columnist Matt Bruneig reacts to the characterization of the cash assistance studies in the previous article
It’s a good exchange, I think he lays out his case and where his values diverge from Piper’s pretty clearly. I happen to agree with Bruneig- and Matt Darling’s take that cash transfers are simply a better way to conduct transfers to the extent we do them (fragmented in kind benefits). It’s not magic, just an anti poverty program. Overall I think Bruneig is simply more correct about the purpose, outcomes, and goal of the welfare state.
Also: Piper is simply wrong that there has been no progress since the war on poverty. She mentions the SPM metric without mentioning that it is a quasi relative poverty metric. It remains the same because the share of people below 50% of the median income remains the same, even if the [bottom](https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23383703/robert-greenstein-center-budget-policy-priorities) has increased. [transfers are more effective than they ever were at reducing poverty](https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/the-nation-has-made-progress-against-poverty-but-policy-advances)
The problem is America doesn’t have the level of welfare state as the more developed welfare states (eg no child allowance) is piper really so oblivious to make all these claims about how poverty is more complicated when the CTC halved child poverty instantly for 100B a year? And it doubled when it returned? I don’t think she appreciates how much poverty is a structural issue caused by non workers (children, elderly, disabled, etc) half of parents wouldn’t be in poverty had they not had kids. The Welfare State is the only solution that can solve this problem.