[...] hostility between the races limits support for welfare. It is clear that racial heterogeneity within the US is one of the most important reasons why the welfare state in America is small.

>Overall, the cross-country evidence, the cross-state evidence (of Alesina, Baqir and Easterly, 1999, 2000, and the work presented here) and the survey evidence given here (and of Luttmer, 2001 and in Alesina and LaFerrara, 2001) all suggest that hostility between the races limits support for welfare. It is clear that racial heterogeneity within the US is one of the most important reasons why the welfare state in America is small. http://ift.tt/1bSxVE4 ...... My thoughts: This also explains: ... - why it grew a lot after the spread of nationalistic thought after WWI and WWII. - why the welfare state was invented by conservatives and nationalists in Prussia. - why the welfare state is so diffused in Nordic countries, that are relatively homogeneous as a population. - And, WILL explain why restricting or preventing immigration will not reduce the welfare state or the power of the state in general. As Rothbard explained, the state derives its power through consensus (see: the Anatomy of the State. http://ift.tt/1THLGoi ) and, as I understand it, the consensus is reached easily if the people think of each other as a big family, as a nation...

link: http://ift.tt/1ZJmHW1