The idea that government should contribute to the well-being of those in need is not new. Even in the early 1800's, when Alexis de Tocqueville remarked on the role played by American charitable associations in fulfilling many of the social functions carried on by European governments, government in the United States was already playing a significant role as a partner in supporting private education, hospitals and service for the needy.

Some predict that if government's involvement in these matters fell, people's sense of responsibility, and their giving, would rise.

"The philanthropic urge has been muted because of the growth of the welfare state," said Robert A. Sirico, president of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty in Grand Rapids, Mich., who asserts that this urge will blossom if the welfare state shrinks. "Do we have it in us? I think we do."

And Leslie Lenkowsky, president of the Hudson Institute research group, argues that the close relationship that has grown between charities and the government has been a "dysfunctional marriage." A separation, he suggested, that could leave some groups scrambling for money. But it could also give them more freedom to innovate, he said, and might make it easier for them to raise financing.

Others are more skeptical. While charitable contributions grew in the 1980's, when government cuts were threatened, most analysts attribute the rise to generally increasing economic prosperity. Many predict that while some increase in giving might be forthcoming now, it is likely to be limited.

A recent survey by the United States Trust Company of people with an adjusted gross incomes above $200,000 or a net worth greater than $3 million found that 68 percent of the respondents said they would donate more to charities if government spending and taxes were both reduced. But only 19 percent said they would give more if social spending were reduced but taxes were not.

Even if Americans are willing to give more, there are questions about where it will be directed.

In a study for the 20th Century Fund, Julian Wolpert, a professor at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, found that higher levels of giving often go to services enjoyed by the donors -- like museums, symphonies, private universities and public television -- rather than for social services. "We haven't had a test yet to show whether there will be a shift if we have stingier state and local governments," he said.