Work and Welfare.

• Author: Ringel, Jeanne S.
• Position: Review

Edited by Amy Gutmann. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1998. Pp. xix, 100. $19.95.

Work and Welfare, edited by Amy Gutmann and published by the Princeton University Press, is a compilation of lectures given in the Princeton University Tanner Lectures Series on Human Values. The format of the series is such that a main speaker chooses a topic and gives two lectures. Then, scholars from a variety of disciplines are afforded the opportunity to respond to and critique these lectures. For the lectures that make up Work and Welfare, the primary speaker was the Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert M. Solow. In his lectures, Solow outlines and discusses his vision of welfare reform. The respondents include two economists, Glenn Loury and John Roemer; an author, Anthony Lewis; and a sociologist, Gertrude Himmelfarb.

Welfare to work is a timely and important topic. We are only now beginning to gauge the effectiveness of the work requirement programs initiated under the welfare reform bill of 1996. Although Solow's lectures were given only a short time after work requirements were enacted, he foresees many of the issues and problems that have arisen from the current system. In this book, Solow does not discuss the particulars of any specific program but rather talks very generally about the fundamental aspects that he believes are required for a successful reformation of welfare. In Solow's view, the solution to the current welfare problems lies at "the intersection of two social norms: self-reliance and altruism" (p. 5). He provides both anecdotal and survey evidence that in a society in which much of one's self-identity and self-respect comes from one's ability to provide for one's family, welfare recipients are ashamed of their position and would rather work than remain on welfare. It is interesting to note that this argument is in complete contradiction with standard models of labor-leisure choice. The difference lies in the value of self-reliance. Standard models assume that the individual gets no utility from work other than from the income the work generates. In Solow's model, work provides utility through a feeling of self-reliance. Solow further argues that while people are in general altruistic, their supply of altruism is limited. He suggests that helping women move off of welfare and into the workforce will conserve altruism. With more people working, fewer will depend solely on the government for support, and thus less tax...