©Michele Monticello Essay  all photos ©Michele Monticello  
The purpose of government is not to make people comfortable in dependency, but to empower people with the confidence and opportunity to achieve independence.

I was prompted to write these thoughts after reading a recent article in The Economist discussing the government’s plans to expand social and council housing. It wasn’t the article itself that stayed with me, but the question it left behind. What are we actually trying to achieve with our economy?

The debate should not simply be about how many more council homes we can build. It should be about the kind of society we want to create and are we building an economy that enables more people to become independent, or one that increasingly manages dependency?

Every home built by the state has to be paid for by someone. Ultimately, that cost falls on the people who work, save, invest and pay taxes. A healthy economy cannot rely solely on redistributing wealth, it must also create the conditions for more people to generate it.

As the son of immigrants, I grew up believing that most people came to this country for opportunity. They wanted to work, to build something for themselves, to save, to own a home and to give their children a better future. They were not looking for dependence upon the state, they were looking for the opportunity to become independent of it.

Surely that should be the ambition of government too. People do not dream of remaining dependent. They dream of progress. They want the dignity that comes from providing for themselves, supporting their families and knowing that their efforts have meaning and reward.

This is not an argument against compassion. There will always be people who, through illness, disability or genuine hardship, need support. A civilised society has a responsibility to help those who cannot help themselves, and many people are proud to contribute towards that responsibility. But there is a difference between a safety net and a permanent destination.

Good parents do not measure success by how long their children remain dependent upon them. They measure success by whether their children develop the confidence, skills and ability to stand on their own two feet. The purpose of raising children is not lifelong dependence, but independence.

Government should aspire to the same principle. The role of government should be to create the conditions where people can succeed: where work is rewarded, where saving is encouraged, where businesses can grow and where people have a realistic opportunity to own a home and build security for themselves and their families.

An economy is not simply a system of numbers, taxation and spending. It is made up of people, their ambitions, their skills and their desire to contribute. When people have purpose, when they feel their efforts matter, they do not just improve their own lives, they strengthen society as a whole.

Aspiration is infectious. When people believe that hard work can improve their lives, they strive to learn, to build businesses, to create opportunities and to leave something better for the next generation. An economy should encourage that spirit, not diminish it.

Maybe I am looking at this too simply. Economics is complicated, and there are no easy answers but some principles seem universal. We know that if you train hard in the gym, you become stronger. If you study hard at school, you improve your knowledge. Progress usually follows effort.

Why should an economy be any different? The greatest success of government should not be measured by how many people depend upon it, but by how many people it has empowered to no longer need it. That is the foundation of an economy of opportunity.