"Welfare states targeting resources on the poorest actually do less downward redistribution over time than those which do not target resources. As research clearly shows, this is because they end up being far less popular and therefore less generous. This is a phenomenon that Walter Korpi and Joakim Palme have nicknamed the “paradox of redistribution”. This essay explores this crucial strategic component to universalism in welfare policy. Often, the key is whether or not middle-class households are included in a particular type of programme, which will determine whether the programme is residualist or not. Ultimately, it is the inclusion or exclusion of the middle class that often determines which projects are truly politically possible."

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