Capacity building: Beyond the personal responsibility vs. welfare debate

We all know the party lines. Democrats argue for an expanded welfare state to address market failures and take care of the needy. Republican argue for personal responsibility and strengthening existing private institutions (churches and families) to get the job done. Neither of these demostrates a very nuanced understanding of the problem that needs to be solved: how to build the capacity of people to be able to take care of themselves and then prosper. It's not about big government or small government, socialism or capitalism, public or private. welfare or personal responsibility.

Yes, the ultimate goal is for people to be able to stand on their own two feet and be productive citizens. But how does that happen? It would certainly be a bad idea to simply keep giving a needy person assistance: they will come to depend on it. On the other hand, ignoring their problem is also likely to lead to it worsening: if he or she doesn't know how to invest in themselves and their future, they are unlikely to start doing it without help. It is a reality that without a certain level of capacity, it is impossible for someone to invest in themselves, much less the world around them. All of their efforts slip away through the entropy of living. Sustainability first, then growth later, require putting in place a self-maintenance system that provides what one needs. One this foundation is in place, people have the space to explore and then grow. As successive foundations are put in place, a person gradually moves from survival to thriving. From dependence to independence to contribution.

For example, I can't look for a job without an address and a decent outfit. I can't protect my family and possessions from a hurricane if I don't have a car. I can't save for my own house until I have enough income to pay my monthly expenses. I can't stop smoking or drinking until I have reduced the pain in my life that has me reach for them. I can't spend enough time studying for my degree if I am the sole caregiver for an infant or my "friends" are always pulling me into trouble. I can't achieve the inner peace that comes from knowing and trusting oneself without having time to slow down and reflect.

Can a federal burearacy support people in the ways they need suppot? No, or not cost effectively anyway, but it is only the federal government that really has the power to raise the necessary resource. (State governments will never be able to tax sufficiently because they are in competition and cannot keep people from moving away.) The solution will certainly require making use of existing community institutions: this is cost effective leveraging of exisitng infrastructure and makes it possible to put social (relationships) as well as financial capital to work.

How can we build capacity? The devil is in the details of implementation of course. We need something that can operate at scale but also addresses the unique need of each individual case. We need a performance measurement system that measures real improvement (rather than absolute attainment), and competitively supports the approaches that generate the most rapid improvements. And we need to acknowledge that a few people may need sustained ongoing support and may never achieve true self-sufficiency, but also never give up investing and believing that they can make progress. We need long term monitoring and support that is phased out over time to address the wobbliness that is normal for anyone in a new situation. We need to remember that the service institutions cannot build the capacity of others if they do not invest in an maintain their own capacity (a major problem in the nonprofit sector). We need to believe that people want to feel and be powerful, and the provide a gentle stretch to help them get there.

This can never just be a "program." It requires a chain of caring and love that builds capacity at all levels, while reaching down and being motivated by those who most need the assistance. No bureaucrats can do the job. The parenting skills and attitude that supports children in to growing into strong, capable, contributing citizens is exactly the same as the skills and attitude that is needed to address poverty and need across the US by building the capacity of its citizens to take care of themselves. It's not "sink or swim," nor spoiling. It's starts with believing that each person can achieve anything they want to achieve, and that people want to achieve great things for themselves and others. It requires creating a space of love, acceptance and support, that allows people to experiment, learn about themselves and grow. It requires holding people accountable to what they say they want for themselves. It requires holding the stretch (painful at times) between where someone wants to go or needs to go and where they are. It's a matter of identifying what's at someone's core, reflecting it back: this creates a positive feedback that builds capacity.

Can we develop a nation that provides this to every person? I believe so. We will start making progress when we believe that it is possible and offer our love, acceptance and support to institutions and individuals around us. A web of care and support will gradually grow until all of us are provided with what we need when we need it. Because there are plenty of resources in the world: we're just not using them very well yet. That will require that we stop wasting them, and we stop wasting them we put systems in place that build capacity. This creates a virtuous cycle that leverages each resource better and better over time, and ensures that people get more and more of what they need over time.