From a Western European perspective, the social safety net in the United States seems woefully inadequate: no universal health care, no universal paid sick leave, no direct federal financial assistance for poor Americans, etc. At the same time, federal expenditures on health care and other social programs make up well over half the US budget, easily dwarfing military spending. Tens of millions of Americans depend on food stamps, disability payments, and a host of other assistance programs; most Americans over 65 rely on Medicare for their health needs. So a social safety net does indeed exist in the US; the question is how it works and whether it addresses the needs of American society.
This class will explain the major aspects of the American social safety net, focusing on health care, aid for low-income Americans, and pensions. We will examine the origins of the federal system (New Deal, Great Society, “Obamacare”), the role of the states, and also why the political debate about social spending is so much more controversial in the US than in Western Europe. What are the chances for reform ideas such as “Medicare for All” and universal basic income? As usual, political cartoons and satirical videos will provide comic relief from these serious and sometimes abstract topics.