Intro
Contents
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Ideas
A Very Brief History of Welfare in Early Europe
American Bootstraps
The Civil Rights Movement
Race and Welfare
The Conservative Revolution
Where We Stand Today
References
Chapter 2: From Welfare to Work (In Theory)
The Role of Minority Labor
Mechanization and Globalization
Welfare "Reform": Work Requirements, Sanctions, and Other Bad Ideas
Workers with Disabilities
Basic Income and Work
References
Chapter 3: Perverse Incentives
Paternalism and Social Policy

Are Most Welfare Recipients Black, Latinx, or Immigrants?
Do Welfare Recipients Work?
Do Welfare Recipients Use More Drugs?
Do Welfare Recipients Misuse Their Funds?
Do Welfare Recipients Remain on Assistance Long Term?
Do Recipients Have Additional Children So They Can Get More Welfare?
Welfare and Behavioral Incentives
Poverty and Human Behavior
A Cure for Bad Choices?
Basic Income and Behavior
References
Chapter 4: Assets and Household Stability
Wealth Inequality in America
Do the Poor Lack Financial Literacy?
The Policy Landscape

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/Food Stamps
Medicaid
Supplemental Security Income
Implications of Asset Limits
Program Participation
Asset Holdings and Financial Behaviors
Labor Market Outcomes
Vehicle Ownership
Administrative Costs
Basic Income and Assets
References
Chapter 5: The Lives of Low-Income Women
A Woman's Place
Aid to [Virtuous Women with] Dependent Children
Morality and Virtue
Feminization of Poverty
Basic-Income Outcomes for Women
References

Chapter 6: A Two-Tiered Welfare State
Welfare Expenditures by Social Class
Bureaucratic Hurdles and Administrative Cost
Morality and Class
Empathy and Race
Welfare and Democracy
Equality Through a Basic Income
References
Chapter 7: The Most Vulnerable
A History of Child Welfare in America
Signs of Progress
A Hard Right Turn
Welfare Outcomes for Children
Basic Income Outcomes for Children
References
Chapter 8: The Alternative
How Would a Basic Income Work?
Would the Poor Be Worse Off?
What Would People Do with a Basic Income?
References