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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Does Social Security Redistribute Income?: A Tax-Transfer Analysis, Namkee G. Choi
Does Social Security Redistribute Income?: A Tax-Transfer Analysis, Namkee G. Choi
The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare
Despite some forced-savings elements, social security is in reality a taxtransfer system based on pay-as-you-go financing. Using a tax-transfer approach, this paper analyzes the redistributive effects of social security by comparing the 1986 benefit distribution to the retired and disabled population, their dependents, and survivors with the 1986 payroll tax incidence of the working population. Findings indicate that a considerable degree of redistribution occurs from middle- and high-income tax payers to poor and near-poor beneficiaries. The paper also analyzes the demographic characteristics of taxpayers and beneficiaries to measure redistribution among different genders, marital status, age, and racial groups.
Conservative Welfare Reform Proposals And The Reality Of Subemployment, Robert Sheak, David D. Dabelko
Conservative Welfare Reform Proposals And The Reality Of Subemployment, Robert Sheak, David D. Dabelko
The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare
This article analyzes and critiques conservative welfare proposals and their assumptions. The concept of subemployment is introduced along with relevant data to identify the nature of the job problem in the U.S. since the early 1970s. Particular emphasis is placed upon the magnitude of employment difficulties during the 1980s. The article concludes that without a major job creation component, conservative welfare reforms intensify rather than ameliorate the subsistence living conditions of the poor.