The standard conservative response to poverty is to shrug. The standard liberal response to poverty is to talk about education, education, and then after that some more about education. The range from shrugging to rambling about education is apparently the Overton window for talking about poverty. Anything outside that range is totally shut out of… Continue reading That time when we fought poverty and won
Author: Matt Bruenig
What Dance Moms teaches us about cultural hegemony
In simple terms, cultural hegemony refers to the way in which the powerful shape a society’s norms, values, and other institutions, and how that particular shaping becomes accepted as default, natural, perpetual, and inevitable. That is, people tend to regard the way we currently run things in society as the only way to run things… Continue reading What Dance Moms teaches us about cultural hegemony
Transfers really do work
A transfer is a cash (or cash-like) benefit that governments just distribute out to certain (or all) people. The United States has a variety of transfer programs. The Earned Income Tax Credit transfers money to low-income workers and their families. The Child Tax Credit transfers money to households with dependent children. SNAP transfers food vouchers… Continue reading Transfers really do work
Generational justice is extremely tricky
A short time ago, I wrote a couple of pieces (I, II) critical of an Evan Soltas’ article about the projected deficits in Social Security and Medicare. In those two pieces, I focused primarily on what I thought was a confused policy position of Soltas. But I also want to address the philosophical ideas surrounding… Continue reading Generational justice is extremely tricky
How to socialize finance tomorrow
Matt Yglesias has a piece today about how the current state of the bond market permits profitable leveraged buyouts. The interest rates on junk bonds have now dipped below the rate of return for the S&P 500 as a whole. So, if someone was able to put it together, they could raise a bunch of… Continue reading How to socialize finance tomorrow