Social Democratic America

by Lane Kenworthy

Overview

America is the one of the wealthiest nations on earth. So why do so many Americans struggle to make ends meet? Why is it so difficult for those who start at the bottom to reach the middle class? And why, if a rising economic tide lifts all boats, have middle-class incomes been growing so slowly?

Social Democratic America explains how this has happened and how we can do better. Lane Kenworthy convincingly argues that we can improve economic security, expand opportunity, and ensure rising living standards for all by moving toward social democracy. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of social policy in America and other affluent countries, he proposes a set of public social programs, including universal early education, an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, wage insurance, the government as employer of last resort, and many others. Kenworthy looks at common objections to social democracy, such as the oft-repeated claim that Americans don't want big government, which he readily debunks. Indeed, we already have in place a host of effective and popular social programs, from Social Security to Medicare to public schooling. Moreover, the available evidence suggests that rich nations can generate the tax revenues needed to pay for generous social programs while maintaining an innovative and growing economy, and without restricting liberty.

Can it happen? Kenworthy describes how the US has been progressing slowly but steadily toward a genuine social democracy for nearly a century. Controversial and powerful, Social Democratic America shows that the good society doesn't require a radical break from our past; we just need to continue in the direction we are already heading.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190230951
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/01/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	832,789
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Lane Kenworthy is Professor of Sociology and Political Science at the University of Arizona. He is author of Progress for the Poor, Jobs with Equality, and Egalitarian Capitalism. His writings have appeared in the Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, and on his blog, Consider the Evidence.

Table of Contents

1. Toward the Good Society: An American Path
2. What's the Problem?
3. How Can We Fix It?
4. Objections and Alternatives
5. Can It Happen?
6. America's Social Democratic Future
Acknowledgments
Notes
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

"It's too bad for Lane Kenworthy that his new book, Social Democratic America, was published on Jan. 3, 2014, because otherwise I'd be comfortable calling it the best public policy book of 2013... it's a fantastic book and I hope everyone reads it." —Matthew Yglesias, Slate

"This is a great book, and an important one. If our policy makers took Lane Kenworthy's advice we'd have a better, more equitable economy, with more opportunity and fewer of the distortionary imbalances that threaten our future." —Jared Bernstein, former Chief Economist and Economic Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden

"Lane Kenworthy's Social Democratic America is a serious, sobering look at the challenges facing the United States as the share of children raised in stable two-parent families shrinks, and as the labor market position of less-skilled workers deteriorates. It is also a spirited case that only a larger, more expensive, more ambitious government can meet these challenges. Whether you are inclined to embrace Kenworthy's arguments or not, you would do well to reckon with them." —Reihan Salam, Fellow, R Street Institute, and contributing editor, National Review

"A breath of fresh air in an increasingly stale economic debate, Social Democratic America shows that more generous and better-designed government policies could improve opportunity, security, and the living standards of most Americans. But perhaps most remarkable in this age of pessimism, Kenworthy believes not only that America can do better, but that it will. Agree or disagree, you will see America's economic possibilities in a powerful new light." —Jacob S. Hacker, Stanley B. Resor Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University, and co-author of Winner-Take-All Politics

"If you wish to read the case for a big increase in social welfare spending, this is the very best place to go." —Tyler Cowen, Holbert C. Harris Chair of Economics, George Mason University

"Well-argued and fact-driven... a reasonable, worthwhile addition to the national debate over government's role in social policy." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

12/16/2013
In this well-argued and fact-driven treatise, Kenworthy (Progress for the Poor), a professor of political science and sociology at the University of Arizona, makes a convincing argument for government-sponsored social programs. "Social programs," he claims, "provide economic security, enhance opportunity, and ensure rising living standards." Citing the familiar (Social Security, Medicare) as well as the less-obvious (public schools and affirmative action), Kenworthy argues that "social policy is actually public insurance" against the risks of a capitalist economy. He defines social democracy as the "commitment to extensive use of government policy to promote economic security, expand opportunity, and ensure rising living standards," while "facilitating freedom, flexibility, and market dynamism," and points to the Nordic countries as a model for how America can balance "flexibility and security, competition and social justice." Indeed, he contends that American social policy has always moved towards this end, beginning with the New Deal in the 1930s, and that despite the extreme divisiveness in government today, the progress will continue as Americans reap the benefits. This is a reasonable, worthwhile addition to the national debate over government's role in social policy. 51 b&w illus. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

2013-11-04
Can America adopt a Scandinavian-style social safety net? Kenworthy (Political Science and Sociology/Univ. of Arizona; Progress for the Poor, 2013, etc.) believes that the cure for America's ills is more social democracy, which he defines as "a commitment to extensive use of government policy to promote economic security, expand opportunity, and ensure rising living standards for all." To this end, the author sets out a list of a dozen or so policies he considers desirable, including wage insurance, universal health care and government as employer of last resort, which he would pay for with greatly increased taxation, including a value added tax. Kenworthy's purpose is not to argue for the desirability of social democratic policies. He assumes that the trajectory of American government is inevitably and appropriately toward more social services and disposes of objections that big government may result in corruption, incompetence or excessive restrictions on liberty. The author focuses almost exclusively on economic considerations. Using a plethora of graphs and charts, he demonstrates that other countries, particularly in Scandinavia, have managed to balance high levels of government taxation and services with healthy economies, and he argues that America could do the same. His intent is to help "shape the timing, scope and nature of future policy" by analyzing which approaches are most likely to work based on multinational economic statistics. The heart of the book is a thoughtful, detailed exploration of such issues as whether a higher minimum wage is preferable to increased earned income tax credits and the relative efficacy of various services and income transfer programs. Even so, some of Kenworthy's observations are questionable; for example, he contends that the U.S. economy could support higher levels of government taxing and spending without considering that we borrow much of the cost for current levels of social services. Recommended for policy wonks that accept the author's belief in the inevitable expansion of government social spending.

Kirkus Reviews