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The welfare trap (or unemployment trap or poverty trap in British English) theory asserts that taxation and welfare systems can jointly contribute to keep people on social insurance because the withdrawal of means tested benefits that comes with entering low-paid work causes there to be no significant increase in total income. An individual sees that the opportunity cost of returning to work is too great for too little a financial return, and this can create a perverse incentive to not work. ==Different definitions== The term used for this concept varies depending on country. In the United States, where government benefit payments are colloquially referred to as "welfare" (e.g. a person is "on welfare"), the welfare trap often indicates that a person is completely dependent on benefits, with little or no hope of self-sufficiency.〔An example of the use of "welfare" as shorthand for public assistance in an academic publication. ()〕 The welfare trap is also known as the unemployment trap or poverty trap in the UK, with both terms frequently being used interchangeably as they often go hand-in-hand, though there are subtle differences.〔"The Unemployment Trap," CentrePiece Spring 2008. By Barbara Petrongolo, London School of Economics. ()〕〔("Escaping the Poverty Trap," by Lawrence Kay, The Policy Exchange )〕 In other contexts, the terms "welfare trap" and "poverty trap" are clearly distinguished. For example, a Southern African Regional Poverty Network report on social protection clarifies: ''... poverty trap to mean a structural condition from which people cannot rescue themselves despite their best efforts. A welfare trap in this context, by contrast, refers to the barrier created by means tested social grants that have in built perverse incentives.''〔(pdf ), (webpage ), a SARPN (Southern African Regional Poverty Network) report〕 This South African definition is typically used with regard to developing countries. This concept may include other adverse effects of welfare, e.g., on the family structure: welfare may encourage the increase in the numbers of single-mother families and divorce rates, as individuals see a distinct benefit in this lifestyle.〔"The state of working America, 1996-97", By Lawrence Mishel, Jared Bernstein, John Schmitt, (Section "Government Benefits and Family structure: Is there a Welfare Trap?" )〕 In the UK, there is a distinction between two concepts within the welfare trap: * the ''unemployment trap'' occurs when the net income difference between low-paid work and unemployment benefits is less than work related costs, discouraging movement into work; * the ''poverty trap'' refers to the position when Means-tested benefit payments are reduced as income rises, combined with income tax and other deductions, with the effect of discouraging higher paid work whether that involves working longer hours or acquiring skills. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Welfare trap」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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