Publisher's Synopsis
Britain and the United States are both in the middle of debates about the future of the welfare state. But whereas the debate in Britain centres on the affordability of the welfare state, the debate in America focuses on the morality of welfare.;Simon Crine, who spent a year in Washington following President Clinton's attempt to reform welfare, argues that whilst we should resist the excessive moralism of the American debate there are some valuable lessons which hold good for both countries: good welfare costs money; work must pay; work and the benefit system should strenthen the family; work and welfare can't pay without affordable childcare; nothing beats a real job - and certainly not workers; and universal benefits target the poor more effectively than means-tested benefits.
