Paul Weinstein, Program Director of the MA in Public Management Program, writes in a recent piece with Arielle Kane about options for supporting the economic wellbeing of working families.
Instead of spending more through the tax code or government programs, policymakers need to ensure that existing subsidies are not simply being passed through to third parties. The key is to make sure markets are functioning competitively, and if they are not, addressing the causes.
In some cases, this may require government intervention to prevent anticompetitive behavior (for example, to counteract concentration in the health care delivery sector). In others, it might mean streamlining regulations that are creating shortages, say in affordable housing.
In higher education, lawmakers should focus on getting college costs down rather than delivering ever-higher subsidies to try to catch up with soaring tuition.
This report offers three ideas for helping relieve financial strains on working and middle-class families without plunging either them or our government deeper into the red.