“It was a no-name market in one of the city\u2019s low-income districts \u2014 not much to look at from the outside. But inside were shelves packed with bread, lentils, cheese, oil and even basic household appliances. Most of the items were cheaper brands sourced from small manufacturers that I had never heard of \u2014 companies happy to donate goods to the city stores because they could write them off their taxes. The non-profit stores run by the municipality were only available to households whose low-income status had been verified by the city. Prices were low, and families received pre-loaded monthly loyalty cards that worked exclusively at these municipal markets. The balance wasn\u2019t tied to wages or a bank account \u2014 it was direct public support, and it was very popular with residents of the neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the markets created both a safety net for the poor and a distribution channel for small producers who rarely made it into high-end supermarkets in wealthier neighborhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across Europe, Latin America and Asia, local governments have long used targeted subsidies to ease the burden of urban living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Europe, subsidized housing and free health care are pretty much the norm. Berlin, London and Vienna have spent decades building and maintaining public housing that keeps rents within reach for working-class residents and young families. In Mexico City, programs like Leche Liconsa provide subsidized milk and other food staples to low-income households. Bogot\u00e1 runs transit subsidies that lower fares for the poor. Seoul has built youth dormitories to help students cope with sky-high housing costs. Barcelona has experimented with rent caps and municipal housing support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These programs aren\u2019t revolutions. They don\u2019t come with Karl Marx Boulevards or Rosa Luxemburg libraries. They\u2019re pragmatic, relatively low-cost subsidies with outsized political impact \u2014 and a familiar part of modern urban governance around the world. And while Mamdani\u2019s critics seem to suggest that such ideas are un-American, the truth is that the U.S. has its own history of subsidies and income support, from the New Deal to food stamps to Medicare and Medicaid \u2014 programs now recognized even by Republicans as critical components of public welfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mamdani\u2019s municipal populism may or may not work in New York. But the idea behind it is hardly fringe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pragmatic, relatively modest redistribution that people can see and feel won\u2019t be the end of capitalism \u2014 or America.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n