Exam 1 Flashcards
Anthony King
- The state derives many characteristics from the individuals within, however federalism makes it difficult to properly represent the people
- American institutions are more resistant to change (Path Dependence)
Means Testing
Benefit eligibility is based on applicants’ financial circumstances, targeting benefits to maximize bang for the gov’t buck
Christopher Howard
- Focus on the two “Big Bangs” of FDR’s New Deal and LBJ’s Great Society is misleading and misrepresentative
- Encapsulating social welfare into an upper (Medicare, SS) and lower tier (TANF, Medicaid) is not so simple
- Highlighted a disconnect between the will of the people and actions taken by representatives
- Believes in presence of strong racial bias when dealing with social welfare policies
Mothers’ Pensions
Forerunner to welfare (1900-1920s), part of the “maternalist welfare state”, established at the state level to provide cash benefits to women to keep them out of the workforce as suffrage was taking off (second wave feminism)
- Race was relevant, many southern states limited the scope of their policies
Paul Pierson
- Proponent of policy feedback loop, negativity bias
- Advocates for a broader understanding of the policymaking process, political life as a moving picture rather than a snapshot
Family and Medical Leave Act
Passed in 1993, guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave at companies of 50+ employees
Political Culture
The collection of values and beliefs about the justification and operation of a country’s government, implies distinct conceptions of the proper sphere of government activity
Indexation
Program benefits adjust to keep up with inflation (TANF is not indexed, Social Security has been since 1970)
Veto Players
Individual or collective actors whose agreement is required for a change in the status quo (large number of veto players in decentralized American politics)
Corporatist Welfare State
Primarily concerned with the preservation of status differentials, with a negligible redistributive impact, shaped by the church and committed to the preservation of the “traditional family”
Jacob Hacker
- Notion of the “divided welfare state”
- Public and private benefit systems
- Policy feedback loop
Charles Lindblom
- Proponent of Power Resources Theory, where government generally bends to the will of big business
- Prospective punishment
- “Pocketbook voters” will punish elected officials if the economy worsens
Civil War Pension System
Program with tremendous reach (1/3 of all elderly men)
* Arrears Act (1879) allowed soldiers with newly-discovered war related injuries to apply, broadening eligibility
* Dependent Pension Act (1890) old age alone became a sufficient disability to obtain pension
Solid South
Following the Civil War, southern Democrats ruled in states with one-party systems
Parliamentary Government
Voters do not choose head of government or their cabinet directly (done by national assembly vote)
* Elections typically do not occur at fixed intervals
* Strict party unity is the norm
Jill Quadagno
- Sees strong links between the War on Poverty and Civil Rights Movement as equality became main objective
- Held that civil, political, and social rights are foundational to democracy
- Focused on redlining mortgage policies and additional restraints on minorities (isolation of the poor)
- “Freedom from ____” vs. “Freedom to____” argument
Classical Liberalism
Enlightenment ideas of individual, unalienable rights and freedoms, a strong thought remaining in contemporary American society and often viewed as an obstacle to expansive social welfare policy (general distrust of government)
“Operational Liberals”
When describing Americans, advocate for less government spending in the abstract while supporting existing social policy programs
Policy Feedback Loop
Public policies are both caused by politics and the cause of politics, forming a loop (Pierson and Hacker)
* Feedback effects on interest groups as policies may generate “spoils” which need to be protected
* Tied into path dependence, may affect political behavior and life decisions
Steinmo and Watts
- Underlines ineffective nature of national US legislature (too decentralized)
- Explains incapability to pass NHI relates to political coalitions and party loyalty over the will of the people
Venue Shopping
Interest groups identify and target veto points to access legislation that they deem unfavorable, interfere based on where they feel they will be most successful
Path Dependence
Economic term, as you continue down a certain trajectory, it becomes increasingly difficult to move in a new direction, illustrates the “winning” design, acquired a slender lead over competitors and built upon itself, not necessarily superior technology
* Unpredictability - early events are partially random, but can have large effects
* Inflexibility - difficulty to shift off one path to another “locked in”
* Nonergodicity - accidents or errors do not cancel out
* Potential path inefficiency
The “Divided” Welfare State
Posited by David Hacker, stating that private benefits can attempt to achieve social policy goals within the U.S., as private welfare makes up 1/3 of all welfare spending
Andrea Campbell
- Medicaid programs in some instances for people to live at/below the poverty line
- Many people rely on their jobs for heatlh insurance, which makes unemployment even more difficult
Arrears Act (1879)
Allowed former soldiers with newly-discovered, war-related disabilities to sign up and receive all of the benefits they would have received since the beginning of the Civil War Pension program
Negativity Bias
Tied into ideas of policy feedback and path dependence, strong backlash often follows policies being threatened
Federalism
Inherently decentralizing feature of government, devolves power to state and local governments. Most global regimes are structured unitarily rather than federally
The “Double Payment” Problem
Social Security uses a pay-as-you-go system, where current workers fund the retirement of the previous generation. Changing this system implies that one generation will have to fund the retirement of the previous generation, and their own (transition costs are immense)
Community Action
Control by local community organizations to bypass state and federal authorities to provide assistance directly to poor populations (part of LBJ’s 1960s War on Poverty)
Liberal Welfare State
Means-tested assistance and/or modest universal transfer or social insurance plans in countries such as the US, UK, and Canada, catering mainly to lower income individuals (often with stigmas) (Gøsta Esping-Andersen)
Social Democratic Welfare State
Prevalent in Scandanavian culture, developedd following WWII, characterized by their generosity, universal and emphasizes equality in opportunity (Gøsta Esping-Andersen)
Presidential Government
Voters elect the chief executive separately from the legislature
* Provides legislators with more leeway to act as independent entrepreneurs
* Reduces incentives for party loyalty (ex. Synema and Manchin)
* Makes it more difficult for governing party to enact its policy agenda
Critical Junctures
Moments of significant change that produce important, long-lasting impacts. Provide an opening for change but do not have an effect on the change itself
Tax Expenditures
Departures from typical tax structure focused on promoting specific industries, activities, or classes of persons (“the hidden welfare state”), government forgoes tax revenue to incentivize population
Subcommittee Bill of Rights
Congressional reform from 1973, reduced the power of committee chairs, empowered subcommittees, and fragmented power within Congress
“Labor Laggard”
A term used to describe the US, as most of its social policies developed midway through the 20th century
Single-Member, Simple-Plurality (SMSP) System
Electoral system in which area is divided into geographical districts, utilizing a winner-take-all system with a plurality of votes needed to win
* Not proportionally representative
* Serves as an obstacle in the U.S. to the emergence of third parties
* Grographical basis incentivizes elected officials to prioritize district over party loyalty
