Explaining Welfare Spending

Einar Overbye

Public Choice, 1995, vol. 83, issue 3-4, 313-35

Abstract: Welfare expenditures are difficult to explain within a pure public-choice framework. In this article, the author argues that the difficulties may be resolved by assuming that the main purpose of welfare schemes is to provide the electorate--in their capacity of different risk categories--with insurance against various social risks, rather than to redistribute economic resources towards weak and destitute groups in society. This solution not only explains the scope of existing welfare arrangements but may also hold the key to an explanation as to how public welfare policies change and evolve across time. Copyright 1995 by Kluwer Academic Publishers

Date: 1995
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:83:y:1995:i:3-4:p:313-35

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... ce/journal/11127/PS2

Access Statistics for this article

Public Choice is currently edited by WIlliam F. Shughart II

More articles in Public Choice from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().