Charlie Joyce on strengthening public services and supports

What is the role of role of public services and income support programs in shaping living standards? 

In the fourth paper in the Investment and Inclusion series, Charlie Joyce revisits the concept of the social wage—public services and supports as a cornerstone of shared prosperity.

Joyce examines how several pillars of the social wage, including Medicare, public education, and housing, have been eroded following decades of insufficient and inefficient investment. He argues that this is driven by increasing demand and the impact of neoliberal market principles on the provision of government services. 

In response to the living standards crisis, Joyce argues that rebuilding and expanding the social wage can raise living standards, promote inclusion, and restore trust in democratic institutions. He suggests three principles that must underpin this effort to strengthen the social wage:

• Universality
• Public services being free at the point of use
• The public delivery of social services.

Joyce then advances several proposals for renewing and extending the social wage. These include:

• secure and affordable housing for all
• fully funded accessible public education
• comprehensive, universal health care
• income support payments that are set at a level that promotes the well-being and dignity of recipients.

📘 Read Charlie Joyce’s full paper 
👉 Explore the rest of the Investment and Inclusion Series