LSE Lecture

Pielsen is referring below primarily to the demise of unions:

"What's striking to me in the US case...is that these dramatic changes have taken place while the core programs of the American welfare state - such as social security and medicare - have remained extremely stable. So, the opponents of the basic goals behind the welfare state have advanced their goals not by dismantling the welfare state, but by going around it to dismantle other, more vulnerable parts of the post-war social picture."

Lecture here.

Gardening

As I am a gardener (it's a job I've had on the side for a while), please indulge my use of the following metaphor: if an intact, healthy culture is the equivalent of good soil, economic opportunity is the equivalent of ample light, fair access to health and education is the equivalent of adequate water, then “welfare”-style policy is like fertilizer, most effective when selectively but consistently and appropriately applied.