Social Policy

The U.S. in Decadence? The Warning Signs Cannot Be Overlooked

The United States today exhibits characteristics of decadence that historians have considered instrumental in the decline or loss of power of earlier empires. A brief analysis.

Has Liberalism Failed? Patrick Deneen’s Populist Anti-Liberalism: A Catholic Classical Liberal’s Response

In his book “Why Liberalism Failed” Patrick Deneen deals with all varieties of Liberalism. They are the fruit of a false image of man – an assertion which, however, proves to be questionable on closer inspection.

Has Liberalism Failed? A Response to Patrick Deneen (Short Version)

Has liberalism become a victim of its own success? A short version of the review and critique of Patrick Deneen’s book “Why Liberalism Failed.”

Racial Accounting and the Galvanization of Group Rights in the U.S. – Not a Liberal Solution

To combat racial discrimination, government agencies in the U.S. keep a kind of accounting system based on race and ethnicity. Well-intentioned policies perpetuate divisions in society.

What Do Families Contribute to the Social Welfare System?

In Austria, about half of public expenditure benefit the 60+ generation. Pensions, health care and long-term care benefits are the most important public programs aimed mainly at the elderly population.

Is the Pope Calling for a Universal Basic Income?

Pope Francis never called for a “universal basic income” as a new socio-political model. He asked for financial assistance for those on the margins who have been harmed by the quarantine. Even so, the idea of a “basic income” is only feasible, if at all, in a country with strong protection of property rights and a market economy.

What Comes after the Coronavirus Crisis – More Socialism or More Capitalism?

Statism is on the rise, despite the fact that western nations were ill-prepared for the Coronavirus pandemic. Old leftist demands are now given even more credence than usual. How can classical liberals and capitalists counter this statist impulse?

The Political Management of the Coronavirus Crisis: The Potential Harm of Damage Compensation

We could be facing the biggest economic crisis of all time. Will politicians be able to learn the lessons from this and use the crisis as an opportunity for a new beginning in economic and public health policy?

Freedom or Equality? “Social Justice” Is Not a Demand of Classical Liberalism

Historically as inequality dissipates the inequalities that remain become intolerable for many. Freedom then becomes seen as an enemy to greater equality. The modern welfare state seeks to establish equality through redistribution, but leaves people dependent and demoralized by their caregivers.

How the French state eats up the well-being of its people

The billions spent by the European Central Bank are not going to save the labor markets of Italy and France. This is proven by figures from the everyday business world. 

Capitalism is Good for the Poor – and for the Environment

The wealth-creating dynamic of capitalism remains widely misunderstood. Few know that it is also the solution to our environmental problems. The imbalance of capitalism today, on the other hand, is caused by politics.

How Much State Does a Just Society Need?

The title question I was asked, “How much state does a just society need?” assumes that a just society requires a superior power—the state. The question is about “how much