Considere o texto a seguir para responder à questão.
How governments should help those on the dole
“Active labour market programmes” are schemes meant to help people
to fi nd work. They grew out of the American public works programmes
of the 1930s, where the government spent billions of dollars busying its
citizens with building schools, hospitals and bridges. Today programmes
also take the form of training, subsidised private work, or help with fi nding
a job. But alongside these programmes, some worry that overly generous
welfare benefi ts make people lazy. They say that threats to cut people’s
benefi ts if they do not join such programmes could also boost employment, by prodding people off the sofa and into work.
(Adaptado de www.economist.com - acesso em 23/08/2015)
O que eram os public works programmes of the 1930s?