Abstract
The
social
policy
of
the
US
welfare
state
is
based
on
a
liberal
model
of
social
protection.
The
social
contract
is
based
on
the
idea
that
individuals
of
working
age
individuals
should
support
themselves
and
their
dependants
thanks
to
their
earned
income.
However,
to
have
a
job
is
no
longer
sufficient
in
protecting
individuals
against
main
social
risks.
President
Obama
has
been
elected
on
the
promise
that
he
will
restore
the
American
dream,
whereby
individual
work
is
rewarded
by
upward
social
mobility.
However,
the
Obama
administration
faces
the
challenge of
rising
social
inequality
and
poverty,
in
an extremely
difficult
economic
context.
The
Great
Recession
has
laid
bare
the
gaps
of
the
safety
net:
a
growing
proportion
of
families
must
choose
between
paying
for
food or
rent.
To
understand
the
inadequacies
of
the
US social
protection
system,
it
is
necessary
to
study
the
structure
of
public
assistance
programmes,
as
well
as
labour
market
trends
and
the
impact
of
the
recession
on
low-income
households.
This
analysis
will
shed
light
on
the
main characteristics
of
the
Obama
administration’s
response
to
the economic
crisis.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Place of Publication | Paris |
Number of pages | 30 |
Volume | 163 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2010 |
Keywords
- welfare state
- United States
- Great Recession
- safety net
- unemployment
- economic crisis
- Obama