Monthly Archives: October 2012

The positive and negative consequences of the welfare state

Posted on October 25, 2012 by

In a previous post, I argued that people had exaggerated the extent to which public support for the benefits system had fallen in Britain. Here, I want to look at another aspect of this that also came out recently – … Continue reading →

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Human Capital, Inequality, and Justice Between Generations

Posted on October 24, 2012 by

Douglas Holtz-Eakin is a Republican economist and a former director of the Congressional Budget Office. He wrote a recent editorial for The New York Times that advocated a dramatic reversal of traditional US policies toward reducing inequality. Holtz-Eakin thinks that … Continue reading →

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Sickness benefits, suspicion, and anxiety

Posted on October 18, 2012 by

In a guest post, Kayleigh Garthwaite talks about her recent research with sickness benefit claimants.  Prompted by a hostile email from a GP after speaking about her research recently on national radio, Kayleigh reflects on the real barriers that sickness benefit … Continue reading →

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How much is health care worth to the poor?

Posted on October 17, 2012 by

In my very first Inequalities blog post I considered the argument that the United States has a more generous safety net for the poor than conventional comparisons with European states would suggest because we spend so much on public health … Continue reading →

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On middle school as a mass casualty site

Posted on October 15, 2012 by

I recently read Paul Tough’s Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America, a deservedly celebrated book. It describes that efforts by Canada (GC hereafter) to give children in Harlem the skills they need to compete with … Continue reading →

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The misreported death of solidarity in Britain

Posted on October 11, 2012 by

It’s rare for journalists to be waiting for social research with baited breath, pens poised and column inches left blank in anticipation. But the annual release of the ‘British Social Attitudes’ series does just that, a testament to just how … Continue reading →

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When do charter schools work?

Posted on October 2, 2012 by

Are KIPP schools the solution to what ails the poorest, most disadvantaged urban students? The KIPP educational paradigm rests on a few core principles (“the Five Pillars”) – High Expectations, Choice and Commitment, More Time, Power to Lead, and Focus … Continue reading →

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Choosing the lesser evil in 2012

Posted on October 1, 2012 by

Writing about egalitarian politics is, for me, a way to imagine a utopian world. You can supply the John Lennon reference for yourselves. This is what I have in mind: Practicing egalitarian politics, however, does not take place in utopia, … Continue reading →

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