Is the concept of an economic safety net relevant in todays Information Age?
We’re moving from a welfare state to an enabling state in which public activism [government action] is all the more necessary against the enormous inequities and dislocation brought about by global capitalism. The prospect of downward mobility has become a much more palpable threat to many people. We are asked by our government and our employers to take greater economic risks, but we don’t have the same safety net. The anchoring concept is shared responsibility. People know that the old New Deal safety net has frayed and cannot be rewoven. People understand that government and big corporations cannot any longer guarantee good jobs for life. Q: So what do we expect the government to do for us? A: People are not looking for the old, paternalistic safety nets. They are looking for ways to empower themselves economically. They want a government that equips them with new tools for security and success. That’s a different model than the 20th-century welfare state, with top-down distribution
