New data show parents want education choice, but awareness lags

Parents and the general public support education choice policies, but awareness of certain policies remains low.

The Next Welfare Reform: Paul Ryan on Work, Technology, and RISE Pilots

Speaker Ryan and host Nic Dunn examine RISE pilots, a state-led approach that tests whether combining multiple welfare benefits into a single, trackable monthly payment can simplify the social safety net, improve work incentives, and help families move out of poverty.

The lost city

Along with all of this came major declines in quality of life, family stability, neighborhood cohesion, cleanliness and, particularly from the 1970s to the 1990s, public safety.

‘Structure Over Politics’: Utah leads the way on strengthening the role of the states

While the Constitution clearly assigns some matters to the federal government, like national defense or interstate commerce, the bulk of the decisions that affect day-to-day life, such as public safety, family, environmental protection, etc., are to be made by the states. This means that the decisions with the most direct impact will be made by government representatives closest to the people affected. It also allows for different policies in different communities, which allows states to learn either from the good or bad examples of others.

The hidden problem with America’s safety net | Erine Gray

Erine Gray shares the personal experiences that led him to build Findhelp, what he learned working inside Texas’ public-benefits system during the financial crisis, and why he believes AI, better data, and greater coordination could make the safety net more effective, without adding more programs or spending.

Education choice is here to stay

Whetting the appetite of parents in states that lack education choice programs will likely only increase support of education choice, not diminish it.

Thirty years after the landmark welfare reform law, what should the next generation of social safety-net reform look like?

Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan joins Defending Ideas to discuss the future of welfare reform and how policymakers can build a system today that helps more families move toward work and economic independence.

Speaker Ryan and host Nic Dunn examine RISE pilots, a state-led approach that tests whether combining multiple welfare benefits into a single, trackable monthly payment can simplify the social safety net, improve work incentives, and help families move out of poverty.

The conversation explores how technology could help reduce benefit cliffs, better coordinate programs, and improve accountability. Ryan explains why states should have the freedom to test different welfare reform approaches and why good data is essential if we want to know what works before expanding reforms more broadly.

Ryan and Dunn also discuss universal basic income and why RISE offers a more promising path forward for welfare reform and, ultimately, people's economic independence.

Ryan is also a Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the Practice of Public Policy at American Enterprise Institute and a Professor of the Practice at the University of Notre Dame.

Show Notes:

Reforming the Safety Net through RISE Pilot Programs - American Idea Foundation https://americanideafoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AIF-White-Paper_Reforming-the-Social-Safety-Net-1.pdf
Americans Are Getting Caught in the Safety Net - Paul Ryan and Les Ford Wall Street Journal op-ed https://www.wsj.com/opinion/americans-are-getting-caught-in-the-safety-net-fed222f4
The Safety Net We’d Build Today: Empowerment Accounts as a State-Led Pilot Concept - Nic Dunn report for Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/the-safety-net-wed-build-today-empowerment-accounts-as-a-state-led-pilot-concept/

The Next Welfare Reform: Paul Ryan on Work, Technology, and RISE Pilots

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New data show parents want education choice, but awareness lags

The Next Welfare Reform: Paul Ryan on Work, Technology, and RISE Pilots

The lost city

‘Structure Over Politics’: Utah leads the way on strengthening the role of the states

The hidden problem with America’s safety net | Erine Gray

Education choice is here to stay

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NEW: Find the right education for your child

“That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.”

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