This week’s guest, David Beito, professor of History at the University of Alabama, discusses the functions, benefits, and undoing of mutual aid societies. These private safety nets, like tontine funds and Masons, once widely provided services such as health and unemployment insurances, hospitals, housing for the elderly, and care for orphans. So what happened? Did beneficiaries dry up these funds? Did scandals, state bans, and the Great Depression lead to the disappearance of benefit societies? Are they still around? Join James Harrigan, Antony Davies, and professor Beito as they answer these questions and more on Words & Numbers.
Show Notes:
Male-only draft unconstitutional
Humanity’s backup plan
Foolishness of the week
AOC says people shouldn’t reproduce
Topic of the week
Mutual aid societies
Tontine insurance
David Beito
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Antony Davies on Twitter
James R. Harrigan on Twitter
Antony Davies on Minds.com
James R. Harrigan on Minds.com
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