Paternalism as an approach to antipoverty policy is the most persuasive approach compared to enforcement, improving opportunities, and marriage. Paternalism is able to account for the shortcomings of the other approaches while simultaneously maintaining a political view that is appealing to both liberals and conservatives. By approaching antipoverty policy through a method of combining aid with structure in the form of obligations, it is able to both help the poor in the form of aid and teach and guide them to live an orthodox lifestyle that will help bring them out of poverty.
With respect to the long-term poor, paternalism remains the best approach to helping the poor, not just by providing them with benefits, but also with obligations that …show more content…
In imposing obligations and giving direction, paternalism emphasizes the notion of a social contract; that in order to receive benefits, recipients must make an agreement to become productive members of society. The primary difference between enforcement and paternalism is that while enforcement simply attaches obligations to benefits, paternalism takes the active effort to administer actions required for the obligations to ensure compliance with societal norms and values, such as establishing a work ethic and following the law. Paternalism enforces norms to help the poor integrate into common …show more content…
A foundational belief of paternalism is that if individuals do not follow society’s interests, it causes a divergence that is harmful for the individual because it disconnects them from greater society. This is consistent with the belief of paternalism that poverty cannot be defeated through service programs alone when poverty is also linked to behavior. The methods of paternalism can also help to end the cycle of poverty by teaching children that responsibility and hard work works. It also enforces orthodox behaviors that can prevent the cycle of poverty by encouraging the poor to not have children out of wedlock. The poor are thus able to address their poverty in their own
With respect to the long-term poor, paternalism remains the best approach to helping the poor, not just by providing them with benefits, but also with obligations that …show more content…
In imposing obligations and giving direction, paternalism emphasizes the notion of a social contract; that in order to receive benefits, recipients must make an agreement to become productive members of society. The primary difference between enforcement and paternalism is that while enforcement simply attaches obligations to benefits, paternalism takes the active effort to administer actions required for the obligations to ensure compliance with societal norms and values, such as establishing a work ethic and following the law. Paternalism enforces norms to help the poor integrate into common …show more content…
A foundational belief of paternalism is that if individuals do not follow society’s interests, it causes a divergence that is harmful for the individual because it disconnects them from greater society. This is consistent with the belief of paternalism that poverty cannot be defeated through service programs alone when poverty is also linked to behavior. The methods of paternalism can also help to end the cycle of poverty by teaching children that responsibility and hard work works. It also enforces orthodox behaviors that can prevent the cycle of poverty by encouraging the poor to not have children out of wedlock. The poor are thus able to address their poverty in their own