Social Welfare Policymaking - Social Welfare Administration - Lecture Slides, Slides of Social Work

Download Social Welfare Policymaking - Social Welfare Administration - Lecture Slides and more Slides Social Work in PDF only on Docsity! Social Welfare Policymaking Docsity.com The Social Welfare Debate • Two main types: – Entitlement programs: Government benefits that certain qualified individuals are entitled to by law, regardless of need. – Means-tested programs: Government programs only available to individuals below a poverty line. • “Deserving” vs. “Undeserving” poor Docsity.com Income, Poverty, and Public Policy Figure 18.1- Poverty Rates, 1999 Docsity.com Income, Poverty, and Public Policy • What Part Does Government Play? – Taxation. • Progressive tax: people with higher incomes pay a greater share. • Proportional tax: all people pay the same share of their income. • Regressive tax: opposite of a progressive tax • Earned Income Tax Credit: “negative income tax” that provided income to very poor people. Docsity.com Income, Poverty, and Public Policy • What Part Does Government Play? – Government Expenditures. • Transfer payments: benefits given by the government directly to individuals. • Some transfer benefits are actual money. • Other transfer benefits are “in kind” benefits where recipients get a benefit without getting actual money. • Some are entitlement programs, others are means- tested. Docsity.com The Evolution of American Social Welfare Programs • President Reagan and the Limits to the Great Society – Reagan (like Johnson) played a lead role in getting attention on benefit programs. – Many programs had benefits reduced, and people were removed from benefit rolls. – Democrats worked to lessen the cut of the benefits to try and protect the truly poor. Docsity.com The Evolution of American Social Welfare Programs • Welfare Reform in 1990’s – Clinton (a Democrat) was able to pass a more significant welfare reform law than his Republican predecessors. – The new program put limits on the amount of time a person could receive benefits. – It also gave the states money to run their own welfare programs. Docsity.com The Future of Social Welfare Policy • The Entitlement Programs: Living on Borrowed Time? – Long-term sustainability of entitlement programs is hotly debated. – What can be done about Social Security? • Cut benefits? • Raise tax rates? • Allow people to invest on their own? Docsity.com Understanding Social Welfare Policy • Democracy and Social Welfare – The U.S. has the smallest welfare system. – There is considerable unequal political participation by those that use the programs. • Social Welfare Policy and the Scope of Government – When social welfare costs go up, the size of government goes up. – What goes up is often difficult to bring down. Docsity.com Internet Resources • Census Bureau poverty reports • American Public Welfare Association • Heritage Foundation • Social Security Administration • “Green Book” Docsity.com