Visions of Democracy Season Two The Peculiar Histories of American Welfare

In season two of Visions of Democracy, we will explore the economic aspects of democracy. As we all know, in democracies, citizens vote for their leaders. Elected officials represent their constituents’ interests in the policy-making process. As representatives make laws, they distribute public resources. Through the funding of public schools and libraries, the construction and maintenance of infrastructure such as roads and bridges, and much more, officials allocate our tax dollars. In the process, they make decisions about who gets to benefit from public money. They decide who deserves public resources and who does not. These are the economic aspects of democracy that we will consider this season as we examine the peculiar histories of American welfare.