Mr. Blahnik
Ch. 19 Social Welfare
Homework
16 points
Part I
1.
Describe the four factors that shape the American approach to welfare policy, and discuss
why this system is quite different from those found in European nations.
2.
Describe the major elements of the social welfare system, including the Social Security Act
of 1935, the Medicare Act of 1965, the abolition of the Aid to Families with Dependent
Children (AFDC) program, and the development of the Temporary Assistance to Needy
Families (TANF) program.
3.
Explain why some welfare policies involve majoritarian politics, whereas others involve
client politics. Give examples and indicate the political consequences of each.
4.
Discuss the politics of welfare reform.
Part II 10 points
Vocabulary
AFDC
assistance program
charitable choice
client politics
Definition
earned income tax credit
End Poverty in California plan
food stamps
income strategy
indexing
insurance program
majoritarian politics
means test
Medicaid
Medicare
Old Age, Survivors, and Disability
Insurance
Share Our Wealth plan
Social Security Act
SSI
TANF
Townsend plan
Discuss the most likely solutions to the Social Security problem. Are they likely to
make the situation better or worse? Is doing nothing preferable to adopting one of
these ideas? If not, then why is Congress so reluctant to tackle this particular
problem.
Discuss the role of the government in the provision of health care for all
Americans—not just the poor and the elderly. What are the benefits of having the
government guarantee basic health care for all? What are the disadvantages to such
an arrangement? Would you be willing to tolerate sharp increases in federal tax
rates if it meant that your health care costs were completely covered?