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Article: The New Paternalism.(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- December 13, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE NEW PATERNALISM. Edited by Lawrence Mead. Brookings; 343 pages; $42.95. Sold in Britain by Plymbridge; K33.50.
AMERICA'S poor used to get benefits, including food stamps, with few strings attached. Nowadays, entitlements are out of fashion. Poor people are being asked to "earn" their handouts, by working or by agreeing to change their ways. Lawrence Mead of New York University has edited a wide-ranging, fascinating set of essays on this approach, known as "The New Paternalism". Entitlement policies have broadly failed, Mr Mead believes. Instead, he argues powerfully for a clearer, fairer "social contract" under which ...