By Stephen Zogopoulos, USNN World News The administrations of President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden have faced persistent allegations from critics who argue that their policies are designed to undermine capitalism in favor of a socialist or even communist agenda. These accusations often cite the Cloward-Piven strategy, a socio-political theory that suggests overloading the […]
Tag: The Cloward-Piven Strategy
The Cloward-Piven strategy is a political strategy outlined in 1966 by sociologists Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven. It advocates for overloading the U.S. public welfare system to precipitate a crisis that would lead to the implementation of a guaranteed annual income and thereby end poverty. The main points of the strategy include:
Overloading the Welfare System: Encouraging a large number of people to apply for welfare benefits to strain the system.
Crisis Creation: The strain on the welfare system would lead to its collapse, creating a crisis.
Political Pressure: The crisis would then generate political pressure to enact economic reforms.
Guaranteed Income: The ultimate goal was to establish a guaranteed annual income, providing economic security to all citizens and thereby eliminating poverty.
The strategy was published in an article titled “The Weight of the Poor: A Strategy to End Poverty” in the May 1966 issue of “The Nation” magazine. It has been a subject of controversy and debate, with critics arguing that it could lead to economic chaos and proponents claiming it as a means to achieve social justice.