Social insurance and social justice—Another look at the antipoverty effects of social insurance programs

This paper analyzes social insurance programs in the United States to determine if they support the principles of social justice, with special emphasis on the principle of preferential treatment of the poor. The paper also examines the antipoverty effects of social insurance programs. The major conclusions are the following: (1) social insurance programs generally are consistent with the principles of social justice, but parts of certain programs clearly violate the norms of social justice; (2) social insurance programs are especially powerful in reducing the poverty rate and poverty gap for the elderly, but are generally ineffective in reducing the poverty rate for single-parent families with related children under age 18; (3) social insurance programs have only a minor impact in reducing the poverty rate among married-couple families with related children under age 18; and (4) although the Social Security payroll results in a small increase in the poverty rate, social insurance programs are especially effective in reducing income inequality.