 |
 |
Social policies attempt to protect people against risks and insecurities they face. |
|
|
They also attempt to promote equality of opportunity and assist the poor. |
| 1) The Politics of Social Policy |
|
|
Social policies are redistributive policies; their effects cut across class lines. |
|
|
Because of their redistributive properties, it is difficult to get social policies on the agenda of the president and Congress. |
|
|
Once a social policy is adopted it is very difficult to alter it. |
|
|
Presidential initiative is most important when trying to adopt a redistributive social policy. |
|
| 2) The History of the Social Welfare System |
|
|
Through the 1800's, government largely stayed out of welfare, leaving care to the private charities. |
|
|
Private charities distinguished between "deserving" and "undeserving" poor. |
|
| 3) What are the Foundations of the Social Welfare System? |
|
A) Social Security |
|
|
Social Security forces people to save for retirement. |
|
B) Medicare |
|
|
Medicare insures all retired persons have health care. |
|
|
Medicare reforms attempted to control costs and added prescription drug benefits. |
|
C) Welfare: Means-Tested Public Assistance Policy |
|
|
Welfare reform has greatly reduced caseloads, but not greatly reduced poverty. |
|
|
Reforming Social Security is crucial or else the baby boomer generation will exhaust savings. Reform ideas include privatizing investment, means testing, and raising the minimum retirement age. |
|
|
Public Assistance programs are noncontributory, and include TANF and SSI. |
|
| 4) Analyzing the Welfare System |
|
A) Arguments Against It |
|
|
The welfare system costs too much. |
|
|
The welfare system is too paternalistic, causing reliance on the state. |
|
|
The welfare system is an example of moral hazard, meaning that it encourages undesirable behavior. |
|
B) Arguments For It |
|
|
The welfare system is good fiscal policy. |
|
|
The welfare system is paternalistic, which may be a good thing. |
|
|
The welfare system is the savior of capitalism, helping solve imperfections. |
|
|
The welfare system lays most of the blame on the "system" |
|
|
The welfare system is politically essential to stop unrest. |
|
| 5) How Can Government Create Opportunity? |
|
A) Education policies |
|
|
Education is the single best equalizer for opportunity. |
|
|
Education has largely been a state effort, until the Cold War. |
|
|
The national government has more recently been setting standards, including No Child Left Behind. |
|
|
School voucher plans have been very controversial as another reform. |
|
B) Health policies |
|
|
Governments have always been involved with public health issues, but involvement in individual health has been more recent. |
|
|
Medicare for retirees, and Medicaid for the poor came in 1965. |
|
|
CHIP has expanded coverage for children without health insurance. |
|
| 6) Who Is Poor? What can the Government Do? |
|
|
Minorities, women and children are disproportionately poor. |
|
|
Single mothers are twice as likely to fall below the poverty line. |
|
|
The nation has a long way to go, but has come closer in a relatively short time toward achieving equality of opportunity. |
|
