Poli 427 Midterm

Question 1

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What is social policy?

Answer 1

• Social policy is “the policy of governments [that directly impacts] the welfare of the citizens by providing them with services and income.” (T.H. Marshall)

Question 2

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What is a welfare state?

Answer 2

• Focuses on the development and politics of social programs
• All of these social programs together make up a welfare state
• Welfare state development is shaped by several economic and political factors ranging from economic growth and cultural values to partisan mobilization and political institutions.

Question 3

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What are the 5 theoretical perspectives on welfare states?

Answer 3

1) Industrialism
2) National values
3) Power resource
4) Business power
5) Historical institutionalism

Question 4

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What is the industrial perspective?

Answer 4

• It is the functionalist sturctural explanation
• Industrialization and related demographic and social trends foster welfare expansion (Wilensky);

Question 5

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What is the national values theoretical perspective?

Answer 5

• It is a functionalist ideational explanation
• Variation in cultural beliefs explains cross-national variation in social policy

Question 6

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What is the power resource theoretical perspective?

Answer 6

• It is conflict-based institutional explanation.
• The political strength of the working class is the key factor (Korpi)

Question 7

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What is the business power theoretical perspective?

Answer 7

• It is conflict-based structural explanation
• Business power is the key factor

Question 8

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What is the historical institutionalism theoretical perspective?

Answer 8

• It is an institutional explanation
• Stresses the impact of political institutions and policy legacies overtime

Question 9

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What are the three main types of social programs?

Answer 9

1) Social assistance
2) Social insurance
3) Universal transfers and services

Question 10

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What differentiates the three types?

Answer 10

1) Operation
2) Who pays (where does the money come from)
3) Under which criteria is someone entitledto the service and/or money?

Question 11

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What is the difference between unemployed and jobless?

Answer 11

• Unemployed: looking for a job
• Jobless: not looking

Question 12

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What are factors which influence the type of social program someone receives?

Answer 12

• Kids
• Single and/or married
• Are you able to work?
• Do you have a permanent disability or is it temporary?
• Age (65 or over?)
• Race

Question 13

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

How does social assistance operate, what is the criteria, are there issues and name an example

Answer 13

Operation:
- Is the oldest form of social program.
- Based on need, entitled to benefit based on perceived need (poor)
- Operates based on self-reliance and dependence: dependent on others who do pay taxes
Target populations: Some target populations are better perceived than others (temporary disability = lazy)
Who pays:
- Money comes from general tax
- Redistribution of taxes
Criteria:
- Do not need to pay taxes to receive benefit (not dependent on fiscal contribution)
- Income tested: how much money you earn (Less intrusive than mean-tested)
- Are you under the threshold
- Unemployed = get assistance
- Means-tested: about income and assets.
Controversial because inspectors have to visit the house (invasive)
Issues with program:
- Hard to prove you have a disability
- You have to continually reprove that you need the money
- Welfare is a tainted word, all about language
- People do not stay on social assistance as long as people perceive
**Example: **
Provincial welfare benefits; Guaranteed Income Supplement)

Question 14

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

How does social insurance operate, what is the criteria, are there issues and name an example

Answer 14

Operation:
- Benefits related to payroll contributions for wageworkers
- Called that because it reduces uncertainty
- Not related to poverty
- Pensions: age –> allocated to a certain purpose
Who pays:
- Income tax
- Note: payroll contribution and income tax are the same thing
- Some can be covered by general tax
Criteria:
- Related to employment status
- You contribute overtime through income tax
- You lose your job but contributed for a long time = you get the money (or 65 and up)
- There is a ceiling = there is a max amount of money you can get
Issues with program:
- Despite being entitled to the benefit because you contributed does not always mean you’ll receive the money
- You pay someone else’s employment insurance
- If you die before receiving it it just disappears
- Government misuse
**Examples: **
- Employment Insurance and Canada Pension Plan
Important distinctions:
- Social insurance = can’t opt out -> you are protecting people through mandatory coverage
- Private insurance = can opt out
- Note: if you could opt out it would be perceived as selfish, it is a moral hazard -> someone ends up homeless because you decided not to pay

Question 15

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

How do universal transfers and services operate, what is the criteria, are there issues and name an example

Answer 15

Operation:
- Universal benefits financed by general revenues for citizens and permanent residents
- Coverage varies just as procedure does
- All people have access to the same services
Who pays:
-General tax
Criteria:
- We decide who is considered based on the law (asylum, tourists etc)
Issues with programs:
- Access is not the same, people in rural areas have different access (helicopters to the hospitals, racial prejudice, discrimination)
- It is universal for certain groups (citizens etc)
**Examples: **
Example: Medicare and Old Age Security

Question 16

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

Who founded the three types of welfare regimes?

Answer 16

• In his book The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, Esping-Andersen draws a line between three types of welfare state regimes.
• Note: alternate typologies are available in literature.
• His approach is well knoen because it is elegant and simple.

Question 17

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What are the main relationships Esping-Andersen focuses on?

Answer 17

• Each of these regimes are about a particular relationship between states, markets, and families (mix of power resource and historical institutionalism)
• States: governments, the state decides what are private and public markets
• Markets: who provides the benefits
• Also focuses on pensions and unemployment benefits (about income not health insurance)

Question 18

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What are the three main welfare state regimes?

Answer 18

1) Liberal Regime: Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States
2) Conservative (Bismarckian) regime: Austria, France, Germany
3) Social democratic regime: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden

Question 19

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What characterizes Liberal regimes?

Answer 19

• Residual role of the state
• Market does most of the regulating until the market fails
• Low benefits to encourage return to work

Question 20

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What characterizes conservative welfare regimes?

Answer 20

• Continental Europe
• Reliance on social insurance: less focus on assistance
• Increase payroll taxes
• Conservative because traditional gender roles are affirmed (hierarchical and proportional to income)
• Some are more generous over others: different sectors, stratified, traditional family roles

Question 21

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What characterizes social democratic welfare regimes?

Answer 21

• State is the largest in terms of welfare
• Challenge traditional roles –> encourage women to work
• Feminist movements have played a large role
• Egalitarian (central)
• Universal benefits

Question 22

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What are potential criticisms of Esping-Andersen’s notion of welfare states?

Answer 22

• Feminist scholars have long criticized Esping-Andersen’s work for his limited attention to asymmetrical gender relations.
• Does not consider non-political actors

Question 23

Capitalism and Welfare Regimes

What are critiques of welfare regimes?

Answer 23

• These things should be done by families
• Stephen Harper: instead of subsidizing child care, send money to families directly, let them choose whether they want to go to daycare or not

Question 24

The Politics of Social Policy in Canada

What factors influence social policy orientation?

Answer 24

• Electoral and fiscal situations
• Revenues, voters, preferences etc
• Political party= brokerage party (adapt to various political climates)
• Blame avoidance

Question 25

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada What are the policy orientations when it comes to social policy?

Answer 25

- They are a mix of paradigms and political ideologies - Within the same country people don;t agree on what type of welfare state to be… - Typically: Left leaning = ♥️ and right leaning= 💔 however it is all relative

Question 26

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada What are the three orientations of social policy?

Answer 26

1) Economic liberalism 2) Social protection 3) Cultural recognition

Question 27

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada What is the economic liberal policy orientation?

Answer 27

- Emphasizes individualism, the central role of self-regulated markets, and residual, limited social programming - Traces back to Adam Smith/ predates modern welfare state - Neo-liberals have backlash against modern neoliberalism, they are against the expansion of the welfare state) - Note, not opposed to welfare state as a whole rather encourages reduced market regulations and back to work incentives - Argue for lower taxes (fiscal conservatism)

Question 28

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada What is the social protection policy orientation?

Answer 28

- Emphasizes redistribution, the positive role of labor unions, and large, public social programs - These types of social politicist fight for social inequality - Argue for large social programs - Example: NDP, Quebec Solidaire - Justin Trudeau: encourages economic liberalism and social protection on the back burner - 1995 most neoliberal budget ever seen in Canada

Question 29

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada What is the cultural recognition policy orientation?

Answer 29

- Emphasizes diversity, the legacies of colonialism, the need to fight discrimination, and the rights of ethno-cultural minorities. - Mobilization of indigenous people - Reconciliation (equal access to services) - More than money, it is justice (emotional) - Immigration, racism, 2SLGBTQ+

Question 30

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada What is globalization?

Answer 30

- Authors define it in terms of economic terms, foreign investment, free trade etc - This is a shortcoming however, as it does not consider global service chains (nannies etc), information distribution and knowledge - Ultimately, narrow view is detrimental to extensive view however, globalization can create incentive

Question 31

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada What are the negative impacts of globalization on social policy?

Answer 31

- In Chapter 1 of their book, Rice and Prince (2013) stresses the negative impact of globalization on social programming; - It is related to the polarization of labour markets and the growing clout and mobility of transnational corporations - Fiscal competition can also decrease social programs running

Question 32

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada What are the positive impacts of globalization on social policy?

Answer 32

- Economic globalization can legitimize new forms of social programming in the name of social investment, which is tied to global economic competitiveness; - Globalization is also about immigration, policy diffusion, and environmental issues that are not purely economic in nature. - Countries become more competitive globally which can encourage forward thinking social policy - Some social policies are compatible with the global arena such as increasing education to achieve more educated workforce - Ethnocontract diversity - Draw lessons from other countries such as climate change and hospital waste

Question 33

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada What is an example of a positive and negative of globalization on social policy?

Answer 33

- Free trade expands and contracts constantly, not a linear process globalization causes both

Question 34

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada Why is pluralization a key factor in social policy?

Answer 34

- Because pluralization leads to fragmentation of society - Fragmentation refers to people no longer staying at the same job, stay in school longer to keep with economy

Question 35

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada What are the ways that pluralization takes form in society?

Answer 35

1. A less predictable life course (education, work, and retirement) 2. A greater level of diversity in family patterns - Increase in divorce rates - Nuclear family disappeared leading to the decline of traditional gender roles - Diversity of sexual pattern in the social sphere 3. Growing cultural, ethnic, racial and linguistic diversity - Canada is built on immigration - Initially a very white country - 1971 Multiculturalism Policy policy designed to encourage white immigrants versus policies now which target everybody 4. Deconstruction of taken-for-granted ideas about life and society - Canada is less religious than it was before - Abortion, death penalty, assisted suicide - Mental health challenges are better excepted 5. Multiplication of interest groups and constituencies - Indigenous, LGBTQ +, disabled, black

Question 36

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada How was social policy perceived in the colonial era?

Answer 36

- Domination of individualistic, liberal creed - Role of the state limited to social assistance to the poor - Key role of families, churches, and charities - For a long time public social policy targeted poor people and had a small scope - Extended family was to provide welfare from young to old age

Question 37

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada How did social spending alter following 1867 (confederation)?

Answer 37

- Provinces started playing a key role - Tension between limited fiscal capacity of the provinces and their constitutional responsibility - Decentralized but challenged by fiscal power/capacity of federal and provincial governments (federal government has more fiscal capabilities) - Tensions between federal and provincial are exacerbated - Social assistance = municipal and provincial initially however the federal government has intervened (however need principal permission because it expands beyond the scope of jurisdictions) - Federalism used as a reason to or not to act

Question 38

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada How does the federal government frame it as not their problem?

Answer 38

- Provinces should reform not us - Creates confusion for voters as they do not know who to hold accountable - Creates challenges in terms of governance as deals need to made.

Question 39

# The Politics of Social Policy in Canada What characterized social policy in the early 20th century?

Answer 39

- Provincial social policy reforms between 1914 and the - 1930s: workers’ compensations, mothers’ pensions, and minimum wage laws; - 1927 Old Age Pensions Act: provincial resistance but hard to refuse federal cash; - The impact of the Great Depression: centralizing tendencies, as the provinces needed federal fiscal support to deal with high poverty and unemployment; - 1935 Employment and Social Insurance Act; stricken down by Privy Council

Question 40

# Retrenchment How did the post-war II era contribute to the welfare state?

Answer 40

- Post war wealth justified large welfare program - It led to increased employment insurance as of the 1970s - Keynaism (increased role of government) was the norm

Question 41

# Retrenchment What is stagnation?

Answer 41

- It refers to increased unemployment and subsequently increased cost of living

Question 42

# Retrenchment How do governments address stagnation?

Answer 42

- They increase spending and control - It is a form of neoliberal economists, a revamped version of economic liberalism

Question 43

# Retrenchment Which world leader is known for reducing the welfare state?

Answer 43

- Margaret Thatcher was a huge proponent to the reduction of the welfare state - Reagan: he attempted to however he was less successful than Thatcher because of congress

Question 44

# Retrenchment What distinction does Pierson make?

Answer 44

- Pierson (1996): “**There is a profound difference between extending benefits to large numbers of people and taking benefits away.”** (145) - Here he is making a distinction between politics of expansion and politics of retrenchment

Question 45

# Retrenchment What are the politics of the welfare state?

Answer 45

- Support reduction in public spending and yet they were incapable in some policy areas - Attributable to the alterations to the politics of the welfare state - Large public social programs are now a central part of the political landscape - As the welfare state develops, it becomes more difficult to dismantle it

Question 46

# Retrenchment Why do governments participate in retrenchment despite its political importance?

Answer 46

- “Retrenchment is generally an exercise in blame avoidance rather than credit claiming, primarily because the costs of retrenchment are concentrated (…), while the benefits are not.” (145) - Retrenchment involves cut backs which eventually turns into further expansion - Despite being blamed the increase in social welfare subsequently following is regarded positively

Question 47

# Retrenchment What are examples of retrenchment?

Answer 47

- Reduction of employment insurance - Reduction of pension

Question 48

# Retrenchment What is credit claiming?

Answer 48

- You say I am responsible for good news - Develop strategies so when good things happen you can claim credit

Question 49

# Retrenchment What is blame avoidance?

Answer 49

- Try to avoid being perceived as responsible for things that are happening - Blame those who use the benefits, other levels of government, previous administrations

Question 50

# Retrenchment What is institutionalism?

Answer 50

- A theory supported by Pierson - It suggests that politics are shaped by politics that already exists It involves policy feedback, programs become self reinforcing overtime Explains why some countries expanded faster than others

Question 51

# Retrenchment What is policy feedback?

Answer 51

- It is when a program generates its own politics - When a policy becomes less popular shaping politics overtime - Example: childcare in Quebec

Question 52

# Retrenchment How does positive policy feedback impact politics?

Answer 52

- You can’t just dismantle the system because the government knows its popularity which leads to a resilient policy ultimately shaping politics.

Question 53

# Retrenchment What are the three types of retrenchment?

Answer 53

1) Pragmatic 2) Systemic 3) Paradigmatic

Question 54

# Retrenchment What is pragmatic retrenchment?

Answer 54

- Program-centered - It focuses on cutting certain programs and measures - It is a short term solution - Example of universal Family Allowances replaced by income-tested Child Tax Credit (1993)

Question 55

# Retrenchment What is systemic retrenchment?

Answer 55

- Long-term impact on the institutional and fiscal environment - Involves reducing fiscal capacity of the state (reducing taxes and transfer) - Makes pragmatic retrenchment possible/ more likely - Cuts in federal transfers for health care, social assistance, social services, and post-secondary education (1995)

Question 56

# Retrenchment What is paradigmatic retrenchment?

Answer 56

- Weakening or eliminating support for key welfare state principles - Neo-liberal principles - Government is too expensive - Decrease social spending - Abandoning full employment as the main goal of public policy (beyond Keynes).

Question 57

# Retrenchment When did Canada first witness retrenchment?

Answer 57

- 1995 under Brian Mulroney unemployment insurance became employment insurance

Question 58

# Retrenchment What does the expression “Nixon goes to China means”?

Answer 58

- It means to do something not expected of you ideologically - You can afford to do something because to be doing it for the right reasons

Question 59

# Retrenchment How did Chrétien engage in retrenchment?

Answer 59

- Managed to balance the budget and have a surplus leading to increased welfare - Chrétien took credit however, it is also attributable to the US economy flourishing and so was the global economy

Question 60

# Retrenchment What are examples of modern keynesian?

Answer 60

- 2008 economic crash - Pandemic - Each of these instances were about spending, spending, spending

Question 61

# Retrenchment What are the three approaches to retrenchment?

Answer 61

1) Power resource 2) Retrenchment 3) Feminist

Question 62

# Retrenchment What is the power resource approach?

Answer 62

- Focuses on labor unions and parties - Leads to social democratic regimes - Politics of expansion can be explained here - Peirson acknowledges the role it plays in the expansion of the welfare state - When talking about retrenchment it is less important - Labour movements instrumental to building social powers in Nordic countries - Due to decline in labor power beneficiaries have difficulty defending social powers (Brian Mulroney) - NDP is a labour party

Question 63

# Retrenchment What is the retrenchment approach?

Answer 63

- Focuses on concrete economic and fiscal pressures as well as the impact of existing policy legacies

Question 64

# Retrenchment What is the feminist approach?

Answer 64

- Focuses on discourse and the structuring role of gender but also class and racial inequalities. - It emphasizes the role of institutions - Role gender sheds light on politics of retrenchment - In focusing on gender etc you can trace the effectiveness and availability of welfare programs

Question 65

# Retrenchment Why did Bashevkin introduce the feminist approach?

Answer 65

- To critique Pierson’s theory which overlooked gendered etc aspects - She argues for a revised retrenchment approach sensitive to social inequality, which is depicted as superior to the power resources approach. - “The central claim in this article is that neither Pierson’s key ‘new politics’ nor the arguments about the ‘newer’ politics of social risk are adequate to understand recent developments in social policy.” (p. 3)

Question 66

# Studying Retrenchment Why is choosing appropriate cases and methods important?

Answer 66

- People who study Canada can borrow from other countries however, these methods do not necessarily apply correctly to the Canadian instances - Various political systems, welfare states etc make adapting methods difficult, easier to come up with your own method - Ultimately, Canada is not that cool when you compare it to the appropriate countries (aka not the United States)

Question 67

# Studying Retrenchment What factors were analyzed in the Bashevkin article?

Answer 67

- The article looks at the “new politics of federal social policy expansion” during the Harper (2006-2015) and Justin Trudeau (2015-) years, with a focus on three policy areas: family policy, specifically child benefits (UCCB; CCB) and childcare transfers; public pensions (CPP); and Employment Insurance (EI) - Analysis of five factors: fiscal conditions, increased recognition of new social risks, partisan competition, electoral leverage for parties of the left, and political institutions.

Question 68

# Retrenchment Is retrenchment a unilateral experience?

Answer 68

- No, you can have retrenchment and expansion within the same policy - Canada is a good example

Question 69

# Retrenchment What role do economic cycles play?

Answer 69

- Economic cycles are important when it comes to retrenchment versus expansion - As the population gets older more money is spent on social programs (demographic aging)

Question 70

# Retrenchment What roles does permanent hostility play?

Answer 70

- Retrenchment becomes hard because people become hostile when their social policies are cut so they spend more.

Question 71

# Retrenchment What role does business power play?

Answer 71

- Large corporations have replaced labour forces - Businesses prefer retrenchment as it is indicative of lower taxes - Note, that small businesses also prefer retrenchment as it lowers taxes (they are vulnerable) - Pierson looks overlooks growth of businesses despite focusing on definition of labour power

Question 72

# Retrenchment How did Jean Chretien participate in retrenchment?

Answer 72

- In order for his liberals to regain power (strong conservative support) they stole votes from the NDP because there was no alternative (TINA) - 1995 resulted in big budget cuts despite being expansionist two years earlier - His liberals retrenched to than expand once budget surplus was evident

Question 73

# Retrenchment How did Stephen Harper participate in retrenchment?

Answer 73

- Dismantle childcare to implement universal children - 2008 financial crisis, minority government forces expansion of social programs

Question 74

# Retrenchment How did Justin Trudeau partake in retrenchment?

Answer 74

- ismantled universal childcare - Gave more money to lower income families 2015 committed to dismantling old age security and suggested working with provinces; however, the minority government results in NDP influencing liberals to take more money towards pension. - Keep your coverage with company and those who do not will cover you. - Liberals do what NDP does but with a little less “extremism” - He initially stated that within the first two years he would not balance the budget because of moving more left towards NDP.