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Comparisons with Other Industrialized Democracies

Comparisons with Other Industrialized Democracies. TAXES AND SPENDING ECONOMIC INTERVENTION / GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMS CIVIL RIGHTS / CIVIL LIBERTIES EDUCATION POVERTY. American Exceptionalism The small size of government. General Measures:

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Comparisons with Other Industrialized Democracies

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  1. Comparisons with Other Industrialized Democracies • TAXES AND SPENDING • ECONOMIC INTERVENTION / GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP • SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMS • CIVIL RIGHTS / CIVIL LIBERTIES • EDUCATION • POVERTY

  2. American ExceptionalismThe small size of government • General Measures: • Taxes, employees, economic intervention, government ownership. • Social Insurance (Social Security) • no national Health, sickness pay, programs established later, fewer benefits, fewer universal programs • Employment Regulation: • Minimum wage (lower), other protections (fewer)

  3. The small size of American government (contd.) • Public Assistance • US has more • Family Programs: US lacks: • Family Allowance • Strict Child Support enforcement • Paid Family Leave • Subsidized Child Care

  4. OECD Comparison Countries: OECD countries not included in charts: Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Turkey

  5. Taxes and Spending • US taxes and spending are lower than almost any other developed country. • Although the US has one of the highest corporate tax rates, its corporate tax revenue (% of GDP) is very low. (perhaps due to corporate tax loopholes). • US deficits have also been relatively high -- especially since the European Union has imposed stricter budget controls.

  6. Government Employees • In terms of total government employees (% of the labor force), the US actually ranks in the middle. • This may be due to two things: • The large US military • Federalism and the many layers of state and local government

  7. Government Ownership • “Old Socialism” or Marxist-socialism stressed public ownership of the means of production. The US historically has had very little government ownership of economic enterprises. • In many countries, since 1980, public enterprises have been privatized. • “New Socialism” stresses government-provided social welfare benefits rather than government ownership.

  8. Social Welfare Programs • Social Insurance (Social Security) • Employment Regulation • Public Assistance • Family Programs

  9. CORE SOCIAL INSURANCE PROGRAMS: • OASDHI • Old Age Pension, Survivors Insurance, Disability Insurance, Health Insurance • Workers Compensation • Unemployment Insurance • Sickness Pay • National Health Insurance

  10. Source: Robert Kurdle and Theodore R. Marmor, "The Development of Welfare States in North America," in Flora and Heidenheimer (1981, 83) Dates of Enactment of Social Insurance Programs in Seven Nations Workman's Pension Sickness Unemployment Health Country Compensation Insurance Insurance Insurance Insurance Canada 1930 1927 1971 1940 1972 France 1898 1905 1930 1905 1945 Germany 1884 1889 1883 1927 1880 Italy 1898 1928 1919 1945 1919 Sweden 1901 1910 1934 1965 1913 United King. 1908 1887 1911 1911 1948 United States 1935 1935 ---- 1935 ----

  11. Health Care • The US is the only developed nation (and among very few nations in the whole world) that does not provide its citizens universal health coverage as a right of citizenship. • The US also has by far the most expensive health care system (include government and private spending). • The US trails most developed nations on most measures of health status.

  12. Health Care

  13. Differences in program structure US: • Programs targeted to specific groups • Means tested • Decentralized Europe: • Comprehensive and Universal programs

  14. United States Medicare (elderly) {Parts A & B} Medicaid (poor) Tax exclusion for employer coverage (middle class) Indian Health Services CHIPS (working poor, children) Veterans Health Care More…………. Health Care: Europe and US Europe • National Health Service, or • National Health Insurance • Covers 80-100% of pop • Covers 70-90 of costs

  15. US Programs (continued) • Black Lung Health Benefits • Municipal Hospitals • Community Health Clinics • Community Mental Health • Kidney dialysis program • Covers 45% of pop • Covers 45% of cost (excluding tax benefits)

  16. Exceptions to Exceptionalism • Military spending, only since 1941 • Prisons, criminal justice system • Capital punishment • Judicial system & litigation • ---e.g. states suing cigarette companies • Education (maybe) • Regulation (maybe) • Tax expenditures • Farm subsidies (partly) • Prohibition • Slavery and Jim Crow laws

  17. Education • US led the world in establishing public education (with Germany). • US spends more on education than any other country. • US does poorly on international tests. • US has the greatest inequalities in Education funding. • US has the highest ratio of public-to-private education spending. • Most other countries have free or low cost public university tuition.

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