Why Private Donations Aren't Helping America's Poor

Of late, the comparatively good news on the U.S. economy suggests the worst of the recession is behind us. Nonetheless, millions remain out of work; federal food and nutrition assistance outlays – one measure of the number of people struggling to get by—were at an all time high in 2013.

On the political right, it’s a refrain that this is a problem for private charities to deal with, because the government is spending too much on safety net programs. Yet charitable donations fell during the recession, as rich people became less generous. What’s more, financing to charities that are actually trying to help the poor are tiny compared to undersized official safety net programs. All of which demonstrates why we can’t leave social protection to charitable donations.