many vulnerable people don't know what they can qualify for and what they can't. especially if they are not particularly literate as many adults are not - espec

many vulnerable people don't know what they can qualify for and what they can't. especially if they are not particularly literate as many adults are not - especially if they have a non-native background. many vulnerable people don't claim even if they know they qualify because the whole process is demeaning. sometimes when you have lost everything, you desperately hold onto your dignity, even if that isn't profit-maximising. real people (as opposed to idealised economic agents) are like that. many vulnerable people can't claim because they slip through the cracks. the process of verification can be intense, especially as the public demand absolutely no benefit cheats meaning everyone is treated as a fraudulent with a lack of empathy or compassion. many vulnerable people have no incentive to save money (since that might disqualify them from receiving benefits in the future). this is similar to what happens with company budgets. you need to spend all that money or you won't get it next year when you might actually need it. tl;dr its complicated. the end result depends on a ton of externalities.