Government welfare is not a new concept in man’s history. The Roman’s had forms of welfare and other empires in mans history did as well. The following authors give their analysis of welfare as performed by the state vs private means.

Associations

Alexis de Tocqueville was a French political thinker and historian. Tocqueville was an active participant in French politics, first under the July Monarchy (1830–1848) and then during the Second Republic (1849–1851) which succeeded the February 1848 Revolution. Tocqueville wrote of his travels through America in the early 19th century and was amazed that America had many more efficiencies for taking care of not only the poor but for each person to help his fellow man in the form of, what he termed, “Associations”. He was astounded that what, in Europe, took vast sums of money and government programs was provided with absolutely no government intervention, of free human will and with greater efficiency than in the European counterpart. HERE is de Tocqueville’s writings of these “Associations” in America.

Wealth Redistribution, Domestic And International

Thomas Woods Jr. explains the problems of international development aid and the domestic welfare state and how it is virtually impossible to establish it without actually causing a net harm.  Also available for download in Mp3.