H
HagiaSophia
Guest
Today, are we more or less dependent on the gov*ernment’s income and social support programs— especially federal programs—than we were 40 years ago? Are we close to a tipping point that endangers the working of our democracy? Or have we passed that point already?
To explore these questions, we need to measure how much federal social programs have grown. We might also look at how such programs have “crowded out” what were once social obligations and services carried out by community groups, family networks, and even local governments. In other words, has the civil society yielded substan*tial ground to the federal public sector?
The Index of Dependency is an attempt to measure these patterns and provide data to help us assess the implications of the trends. Using the Index, Heritage Foundation analysts have found a steady and perhaps alarming growth in dependency in recent decades. Specifically:
Table 1 contains the Index scores from 1962 to 2004, with 1980 as the base year.
heritage.org/Research/Budget/cda05-05.cfm
To explore these questions, we need to measure how much federal social programs have grown. We might also look at how such programs have “crowded out” what were once social obligations and services carried out by community groups, family networks, and even local governments. In other words, has the civil society yielded substan*tial ground to the federal public sector?
The Index of Dependency is an attempt to measure these patterns and provide data to help us assess the implications of the trends. Using the Index, Heritage Foundation analysts have found a steady and perhaps alarming growth in dependency in recent decades. Specifically:
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Using a benchmark index of 100 for 1980, the Dependency Index for 2004 stands at 212, a 1 percent increase over its 2003 score of 210. This increase marks the first year since 2001 that the Dependency Index has risen by less than 5 percent. Since 1980, the Index has dou*bled, increasing by 112 percent.
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The most significant growth in this year’s Index score came in three components: health care and welfare, retirement, and education.heritage.org/Research/Budget/cda05-05.cfm