OPINION: PRIVATIZING THE WELFARE STATE

As dissatisfaction with government-provided social services grows, charities and foundations are poised to play a bigger role in providing such aid, writes the Manhattan Institute’s Howard Husock in The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Husock says that “the stars are aligned” for nonprofit organizations because of the rise in charitable giving and the growth in the number of “social entrepreneuers” over the last decade. Charities are more accountable to the public than government, meanwhile, because donors can easily discipline them by halting donations if they are dissatisfied, he says. Mr. Husock calls for the development of tools such as growth capital for nonprofit groups so they can more easily expand their reach.