In view of the continuing prevalence of this form of social assistance,
it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the po�liti�cal possibilities raised by
existing social programs are indeed quite limited—Â�perhaps as much so,
if for different reasons, as those raised by militant resource nationalism.
Most progressives would surely agree that, flawed as they are, these
redistributive social programs are far better than nothing. But most will
struggle to see in them anything approaching a genuinely radical or
transformative politics either.