Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Investing

Taxpayer Funding for Religious Schools?

by June 13, 2023
June 13, 2023

Jeffrey Miron

This article appeared on Substack on June 13, 2023

The state of Oklahoma has recently approved a charter for the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, whose curriculum will include religious teaching. Taxpayers will fund the school, so a battle will ensue over whether such funding is desirable or constitutional.

Economic reasoning suggests three possible justifications for government support of education.

First, one person’s education might benefit society more broadly. Economic productivity might be higher, for example, if everyone has mastered “the three Rs.” Some individuals, however, might ignore this “spillover” and therefore choose too little education relative to the social optimum.

Second, people for whom education would be productive (by raising their future income) might underinvest due to myopia, suggesting that even without spillovers, the laissez‐​faire level of education might be too low. Some parents, in particular, might choose too little education for their children unless policy makes education cheaper.

Third, people for whom education would be beneficial, with or without externalities, and even without myopia, might have insufficient income to pay for private education and face difficulty in borrowing to finance such an investment (credit constraints).

Reasonable people can debate whether these arguments are convincing. Each has some plausibility, yet each is easily overstated.

In Libertarian Land, governments play no role in education, whether via mandatory schooling, public schools, funding for vouchers or charters, state colleges and universities, or subsidized student loans.

The reason is that, while government support might have the benefits described, this support requires government to define what constitutes education, as the Oklahoma controversy illustrates. Government definition of education limits variety and innovation, and in the extreme facilitates thought control. It is no accident that totalitarian regimes exercise extreme control over their educational systems.

If one nevertheless takes as given that, for the foreseeable future, government will fund education, and have the power to determine what kinds of education receive this support, should taxpayer funding be available for religious schools?

Assuming such education meets the curricular standards that government imposes on all schools, public and private, the answer is yes.

Why? Because religious schools can generate the three benefits that potentially justify government support of education. This is the standard reasoning for allowing private religious schools (or home schooling) to satisfy mandatory schooling laws.

Stated differently, allowing taxpayer funding to religious schools that meet the criteria for funding under the state’s general rules (e.g., teaching the three Rs) is the neutral position for government with respect to religion. This neutrality is the natural interpretation of the Constitution’s establishment clause, which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Thus libertarians would prefer little or no government involvement in education. If government does fund education, however, it should not exclude religious schools a priori but instead determine funding based on the criteria that might justify such intervention in the first place.

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
5 Reasons why you need a requirements gathering software
next post
Why Legal Immigration Is Impossible for Nearly Everyone

You may also like

Trump’s Immunity Claims Aren’t Likely To Let Him...

January 4, 2024

“Mustafa Akyol Is an Incorrigible Optimist”: Review of...

October 10, 2024

How Free Is Your State?

November 15, 2023

Louisiana’s Ten Commandments Commandment Is Classic Public Schooling....

June 20, 2024

Why Germany Should Preserve Its Debt Brake and...

September 19, 2024

Congress Should Reverse its $196 Billion Social Security...

February 10, 2025

Government Versus Private Vaccine Mandates

March 5, 2025

Must California Take Two Months To Resolve a...

May 10, 2024

The First Amendment Protects Against Bad‐​Faith Prosecutions

June 8, 2023

Whether Someone Wants Fluoride or Doesn’t, The Government...

May 14, 2025

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Biden only hand-signed one pardon during final spree, and it was his most controversial one

      June 5, 2025
    • GOP bill takes aim at Congress’ ‘no rules apply’ emergency spending

      June 5, 2025
    • White House highlights Pelosi hypocrisy after Schiff demands Trump admin financial, ethics docs

      June 5, 2025
    • Musk says Trump would have lost 2024 election without him as ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ feud continues

      June 5, 2025
    • Ex-Biden advisor calls Jean-Pierre ‘kinda dumb,’ deletes tweet, says she’s not a ‘genius-level Black woman’

      June 5, 2025
    • Harmony Squad: Supreme Court Issues Six Unanimous Decisions

      June 5, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,149)
    • Investing (2,011)
    • Politics (15,538)
    • Stocks (3,128)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved