Ch 3. Conceptual Foundations of Social Welfare

Question 1

Paradigms

Answer 1

Patterns or models that provide a framework

Question 2

Theories

Answer 2

Systems of ideas to explain

Question 3

Ideologies

Answer 3

Ideas to guide

Question 4

What are the ideologies of the social welfare system?

Answer 4

• Cause and Function
• Blaming the Victim
• The Culture of Poverty and the Underclass
• Conservative and Liberal Political Perspectives
• Biological Determinism
• Social Welfare Services as a Right

Question 5

Cause and Function

Answer 5

Cause it the issue on which people take a moral position to improve society

Function is the day-to-day effort to provide services

Porter Lee believed that workers should support the cause while carrying out their daily duties.

Question 6

What conflict between cause and function is present?

Answer 6

To what extent should people take action and fight for a cause, and to what extent should they tend to their daily lives.

Some theories argue that supporting both is impossible and one must choose between the two.

Question 7

What is an example of the struggle between cause and function?

Answer 7

When a client lives in a dangerous neighborhood, should the social worker help the client move, or should the worker fight to change the neighborhood?

Question 8

Blaming the Victim

Answer 8

Introduced by William Ryan: poverty and other concerns are viewed as personal rather than social.

Holding each person responsible for his or her circumstances.

Question 9

The Culture of Poverty and the Underclass

Answer 9

A cultural destiny passed through generations; some people are born poor and socialize to remain poor

The only way to help the poor is to teach the poor a new culture

William Julius Wilson believed that the solution to poverty and related problems is for both institutions and individuals to change

Question 10

Conservative Political Perspective

Answer 10

• Government intervention is seen as a waste of taxpayers dollars
• people at top have worked hard, earned their success
• Social programs are viewed as providing benefits to those who do not need them or as creating a dependency that encourages people to stop caring for themselves.

Question 11

Liberal Political Perspective

Answer 11

Social Welfare policies are regarded as being so important that they should be legislated by the government.

Liberals view the government as being a referee to ensure fairness and a provider to correct imbalances and inequities

Question 12

How is it possible to identify as both conservative and liberal?

Answer 12

A person might describe themselves as fiscally conservative and socially liberal.

Meaning they do not support major government intervention in the economic realm, but favor government roles in social services and promoting civil rights.

Question 13

If policy makers believe that the social welfare of all citizens is a high priority, how should they view the debate of which perspective is better between conservative and liberal?

Answer 13

The debate about which perspective is better needs to be changed to the perspective of what will be the most beneficial for the most people.

Question 14

Biological Determinism

Answer 14

Ones heredity predetermines/strongly influences, the level of social and economic position a person achieves.

Social Darwinism

Question 15

Social Darwinism

Answer 15

Those at the top economically and socially got there because of innate inherited abilities.

This ignores environment, social surroundings, access to opportunities such as educational and employment opportunities, and resources and privileges, available to a person born to the right parents, classes, races, or social stratification.

Question 16

Social Welfare Services as a Right

Answer 16

A function of public purpose over private interest; Social welfare programs should not be viewed as an afterthought provided selectively, but as a social right provided through a universal system.

Richard M. Titmuss argues that the private market system is plagued by the problems of inequality, social injustice, and exclusion.

Poorly educated, ill-clothed, homeless, disenfranchised individuals, cannot participate fully in the market system because they are so far outside of it.

Individuals cannot change the discrimination and exclusion imposed on them by others.

Question 17

What would be an example of a social welfare service that aligns with the theory that social welfare services should be a right?

Answer 17

Health Care is a right to which all people are entitled, regardless of their own resources.

They argue that the only way to make healthcare a right is through universal coverage provided by the government.

Question 18

A theory of evolution of the social welfare system:

Industrialization and the Social Welfare System

Answer 18

Industrial expansion created a need for social welfare policies and programs.

Created new jobs and poor working conditions

Changes in economics, communities, and family relations demanded a change in social welfare policies.

Question 19

What needs did workers expect through industry and government as a result of industrialization?

Answer 19

Safety in the workplace, a guaranteed minimum wage, regulated work hours and conditions, social insurance for retirement, disability compensation, and survivors’ benefits in the event of death.

Question 20

A theory of evolution of the social welfare system:

Cycles of History

Answer 20

Policies cycle between individual responsibilities and social responsibilities

Between public purpose and private interest

During the cycles, each period runs its course and brings about change

The cycles shift with generations; 30 year cycles

Question 21

Cycles of History:

Why do periods of public purpose follow times of private interests?

Answer 21

When public purpose is the dominant influence, sweeping changes are made in a short period of time. Sustained public action requires energy and intense political commitment so people tire of a this level of activity and need to regroup.

Therefore, periods of public purpose are followed by times of private interest, when people become immersed in their personal lives.

Question 22

Cycles of History:

During periods of private interest, what happens to changes that were previously brought about by public action?

Answer 22

The changes are absorbed and people focus on privatization and personal acquisition.

Eventually, private interest leads to dissatisfaction because acquisition is not possible for everyone and segments of society are in need.

Therefore, the course of history shifts and the cycle continues

Question 23

What are 2 historical periods that would be examples of a cycle of history?

Answer 23

1. Around the turn of the century the progressive movement called for public action and the materialistic, acquisitive period of the 1920’s followed
2. The Great depression in the 1930’s and the outcry for public action and the return to private interest characterized by conservatism and material growth in the 1950s

Question 24

A theory of evolution of the social welfare system:

Social Control

Answer 24

Those in positions of power use the institutions of the social welfare system to control and direct the behavior of the needy.

Residual social welfare programs and low benefits become a tool of control.

Policies alternate between periods of minimal benefits and broader ones.

By creating a residual social welfare program and keeping benefits low, the powers that be ensure that most people will not be inclined to rely on public assistance but will instead be willing to work, even at low paying jobs.

Question 25

In the social control theory why do policies alternate between periods of minimal benefits and broader ones?

Answer 25

When benefits become too low to meet basic needs, social unrest develops , and programs are expanded.

In this way, shifts are made in benefit amounts and eligibility, but basic system remains intact.

Question 26

What time in history would be an example that would fall under the social control theory?

Answer 26

The 1930s and 1960s were times when coverage and benefits for public assistance expanded. They both began with social movements and ended with expansions in the social welfare system.

After the expansions, social unrest dissipated.

These periods are evidence of attempts to regulate the poor through social control.

Question 27

A theory of evolution of the social welfare system:

Elite Power Theory

Answer 27

The idea that a “handful” of people control the policies that govern all of society.

The elite control of public policy as the domination of the nation by a small capitalist class. The dominant elite class is well connected to those who make public policy.

Review Chart on pg. 68 of the book for more detail

Question 28

How are social control theory and elite power theory similar?

Answer 28

Power gets redistributed when average people organize to disrupt the system.

The process is often supported by those in power both as a response to the disruption AND an attempt by the elite class to hold onto its position of power.

Question 29

A theory of evolution of the social welfare system:

Economics as a Determinant of Social Welfare Policy

Answer 29

Economics is a driving force behind the policies and politics of social well-being

Times of economic growth are marked by an emphasis on individual responsibility
Economic slow downs call for increased demand for government intervention

Question 30

Explain how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act could be the result of the theory of Economics as a Determinant of Social Welfare Policy?

Answer 30

Support for government funded health insurance grew not only in response to public concern about the economic imbalance between working and not receiving health care coverage, but in response to the economic bottom line for businesses–Profitability.

The cost of health insurance for employees was growing and affecting their economic profitability so, if the federal government were to step in to provide health insurance, businesses would be able to remove themselves from the role and cost of being the source of health insurance.

Question 31

A theory of evolution of the social welfare system:

Critical Theory

Answer 31

Combines elements of social control, elite power, and economics in explaining policy

Examines social life with the goal of evaluating the U.S. social order and the ways in which power and domination impact people’s lives/the social order

Critical theory includes prescriptions for change that liberate oppressed people from people in power.

Question 32

How is the social welfare program ‘Temporary Assistance for Needy Families’ is an illustration of the Critical Theory?

Answer 32

Although TANF addresses poverty, its recipients are primarily low-income single women and children who are disproportionately people of color and the policy makers were mostly white male legislators with high levels of education and income.

Therefore, a deconstruction of the TANF from the critical theory perspective means not only looking at the economics of poverty but also at the ways in which gender, race, class, and family composition fit in and at who is making decisions on how the program is constructed.

Question 33

What is the Call for Action in the critical theory?

Answer 33

The element of consciousness raising and praxis, or social action.

The call for action includes the process of self-reflection and ultimately, once people understand the imbalance of power, they can begin the process of social change and liberate those who are oppressed.

Question 34

A theory of evolution of the social welfare system:

Postindustrialization and Globalization

Answer 34

The postindustrial era was a new Era of social welfare beginning in the 1980s.

Globalization was increasing connectedness of the world’s economy.

Question 35

What were two main influences of change to the U.S. social welfare system according to the Postindustrialization and Globalization theory?

Answer 35

The movement of women into the labor force and the aging of the U.S. population.

The demographic shift of women into the workplace has affected social welfare policies more than any other single factor in recent years.

The pattern since the 1980s has not just been a story of retrenchment (cutting back expenses) but that also one of significant restructuring

Question 36

How does the shift of women entering the workforce explain the restructuring of the social welfare system?

Answer 36

The traditional social services related to the needs of the male breadwinner were cut back to accommodate the new women and family centered policies (family leave, child care credits).

The system did not radically change rather, the focus has shifted to accommodate the changing demographic and social needs of the nation.

Question 37

Paradigms of the Social Welfare System

Answer 37

Patterns or models that form a picture to help us understand social phenomena.

By analyzing social welfare policy with these models, we can understand why policies evolved the way they did.

With those insights, we can find ways to make social welfare policies and programs more effective and appropriate.

Question 38

A Paradigm of the Social Welfare System:

Social Construction

Answer 38

People create a shared reality. When those who are dominant in a society define a group’s characteristics and determine the group’s value. These perceptions are accepted as norms.

The views are reinforced through values and beliefs, and then passed on to others through stories, language, and interpretations.

Social construction means that framing of different groups can lead to change

Question 39

What are some examples of social constructions?

Answer 39

• “women are too weak to work in physical labor”
• “all men are strong”
• “all women are nurturers”
• Slavery was once considered acceptable, today it is outlawed through public policy

Question 40

Explain the paradigm in which social construction provides a lens through which to analyze social welfare policy.

Answer 40

If social programs are designed to support the family model of two heterosexual parents, with the male working ful-time

Question 41

How can social construction lead to social change?

Answer 41

If all policies are framed by values and beliefs reinforced by dominant groups, then we have the power to change the way issues are viewed and hence change policy.

Question 42

A Paradigm of the Social Welfare System:

Critical Analysis

Answer 42

Based on Critical Theory

Way of viewing world that seeks to understand what is underlying the social norm or social policy

Deconstruction – analysis to take apart what is said or written, consider context

Key is to look for power imbalances

It can be controversial because it calls for action to change the control and distribution of power in policy making

Question 43

How does the women’s civil rights movement reflect critical analysis?

Answer 43

It was based on critical analysis of how men dominated social, political, and economic domains in society and women had been relegated to secondary status.

Awareness to this difference led to a social movement demanding changes that allowed women access to the same levels of power that men had.

Policy analysis of gender differences in society, accompanied by social action to change that imbalance, combined to demonstrate the application of the critical analysis paradigm.

Question 44

A Paradigm of the Social Welfare System:

Distributive Model of Justice

Answer 44

The social obligation of the state to all its citizens to provide agreed-upon social benefits that are not only fair to the recipients but that contribute to the betterment of U.S. society

Rawls argued that public adherence to justice is fundamental to a well-ordered society.

Question 45

What does the distributive justice paradigm call for?

Answer 45

It calls for us to identify what social benefits should be provided to all citizens, and then create ways to ensure a fair allocation of those benefits.

Example: If education is believed to be a social benefit (i.e. that the receipt of it helps both the individual and all of society), then we must strive to find ways to ensure that all citizens have access to quality education.

Question 46

A Paradigm of the Social Welfare System:

Procedural Model of Justice

Answer 46

Involves the institutional methods or processes that take place to make decisions; tends to be legal in structure

Procedural justice stresses the fair representation and participation of all those impacted by social welfare.

Entitling all to just procedures has been found to increase satisfaction with outcomes and decrease conflict.

Question 47

How can developing processes that allow for fair representation and participation be challenging?

Answer 47

Social constructs such as withholding voting rights based on race historically kept African Americans out of the processes of government decision making.

Even today, many people worry that access to elected officials is skewed toward those with greater resources and social standing, making the processes of deciding what services and benefits should be distributed closed and not reflective of procedural justice.

Question 48

A Paradigm of the Social Welfare System:

Strength-Based Model

Answer 48

Emphasizes positive attributes over negative

In social welfare policy, this means building policies and programs on people’s existing strengths

Assumes that when people’s positive capacities are supported, they are more likely to act on their strengths.

Question 49

Describe an example of a strength-based model paradigm.

Answer 49

If parents want to stay home with their children, and there is a social benefit from adults being at home and available to their children, regardless of whether they are single parents or married, then social supports should be found to allow parents to stay home.

This builds on the strength of adult caregiving without emphasizing how a family should be structured

Question 50

A Paradigm of the Social Welfare System:

Social Empathy

Answer 50

Calls for us to use insight gained about people’s lives to develop public policies that are sensitive to people’s needs based on the realities of their living situations.

Consider policies and programs that ask the question “how would it feel for me to need or be a recipient of that service?”

Question 51

How might someone have trouble understanding social empathy?

Answer 51

If they have never been poor or never experiences discrimination that has kept them from educational and employment opportunities.

If a persons frame of reference is that every thing in life depends on individual efforts, then the person will not see any value in social responsibility.

Question 52

Social Work Professional Paradigm

Answer 52

Social Work has professional principles and ethics.

Each social worker, in receiving a degree, agrees to abide by the profession’s values. These values include fostering self-determination on the part of the clients and promoting the general welfare of society.

They also demonstrate that workers are obligated to advocate for social welfare policies and programs that promote social justice, respect diversity, and improve social conditions.

Question 53

How do conflicting beliefs enter into the discussion of ideologies, theories, and paradigms?

Answer 53

Beliefs sway thinking and hence play a significant role in people’s interests in a particular ideology, theory, or paradigm.

Understanding one’s own beliefs is an important first step in analyzing social welfare policies.

Once people are aware of their own biases and preferences, they can better understand how and why they perceive their social surroundings the way they do.

Question 54

what impacts how a person thinks about policy issues?

Answer 54

political, social, religious and economic ideologies

Question 55

means testing

Answer 55

A method for determining whether someone qualifies for a financial-assistance program

Question 56

What does social justice do?

Answer 56

1. protect human rights
2. provide basic human needs
3. motivates social workers to be advocates

Question 57

What are 5 goals of advocacy?

Answer 57

• 1. fairness
     
     2. equality
     3. freedom
     4. service
     5. nonviolence

Question 58

-What programs were part of the Social Security Act in 1935?

Answer 58

-social security and medicare

Question 59

What was added to the Social Security Act later in the 1960s?

Answer 59

-food stamps, medicaid, headstart

Question 60

What are the 5 steps involved in the social work change process?

Answer 60

1. engagement
2. assessment
3. planning
4. implementation
5. evaluation

Question 61

social work roles

Answer 61

1. advocate
2. broker
3. case manager
4. counselor
5. mediator
6. navigator
7. researcher

Question 62

Advocate

Answer 62

Someone who speaks up for disempowered people

Question 63

Broker

Answer 63

Connects individuals to needed resources or services

Question 64

Case Manager

Answer 64

Takes responsibility for coordinating things that is going on in his/her life

Question 65

Counselor

Answer 65

Uses one on one talk therapy to help create a rap-ore and relationship to help people with problems in life

Question 66

Mediator

Answer 66

Gets involved in situations of conflict

Example: child custody, impartial reference

Question 67

Navigator

Answer 67

Helps clients navigate through paperwork

Question 68

Researcher

Answer 68

Develops new knowledge of info to help people down the road

Question 69

Engagement

Answer 69

Forming relationship to elicit response from client

Question 70

Assessment

Answer 70

Takes a long look at persons life and try to come up with diagnosis

Question 71

Implementation

Answer 71

Carry out plan you created

Question 72

Feminiztion of poverty

Answer 72

77 cents on the male dollar

Single & divorced mothers are more likely to be in poverty because they’re more likely to be responsible for children

Question 73

Patterns of income distribution and wealth disparity and the US

Answer 73

• Wealth more unequal than income

- Majority of wealth owned by about 10% of the population

Question 74

Groups at risk of being poor

Answer 74

Women, people of color, children, homeless people