Social welfare

Question 1

What were the factors that contributed to the crisis of the welfare state

Answer 1

slumping international economy brought on by sharp oil prices, stagflation and economic decline.
combination undermined confidence in the Keynesian-led economy and the welfare state

Question 2

What is a paradigm?

Answer 2

framework which a profession views the world and its place in it.

Question 3

How is the concept of a paradigm useful to social workers?

Answer 3

• make connections between ideology and social work practice.
• no one universal approach to social work practice.
• enhance understanding of the dynamics of change

Question 4

What are the main elements of the class based welfare systems developed by Richard Titmuss? (p.18)

Answer 4

Fiscal welfare
Occupational welfare
General welfare

Question 5

Who benefits for each form of welfare and give examples of the type of benefits that are provided for each group?

Answer 5

• Fiscal welfare:capitalist class. ex, corporate income are allowed to escape taxation by way of exemptions.
• Occupational welfare: persons with good, full-time jobs. Ex: health, pension distributed by workplace. car/housing allowances,
• General welfare: unemployed /underemployed workers. ex: providing safety net for those that cannot meet basic needs

Question 6

Chapter 2: The social work vision: a progressive view

What are the main differences between conventional and progressive perspectives of social work?

Answer 6

Conventional perspective, individual(s) as both the source of and the solutions for problems and helps the individual cope with, fit into, and/or adjust to society.

Progressive perspective, focuses on goodness of fit between the individual and their environment.

Question 7

What are the key differences between residual, institutional and structural social welfare models?

Answer 7

• Residual: protect interest of business from difficulties of unprotected markets
• Institutional: people who are causality of industrial order has right to guaranteed minimum of social security.
• Structural: Main goal full employment and environmental planning and solidarity wages

Question 8

Which model is more consistent with social work values? Explain

Answer 8

The structural model, because it is most consistent with social work values, beliefs, and principles.

Question 9

Chapter 3: The Neo-Conservative Paradigm

Why would George and Wilding describe neo-conservatives as anti-collectivists?

Answer 9

neo-conservatives views are based on laissez-faire and individualism. solutions to cut social spending, private sector to control economy and reduce union power.

Question 10

How did the neo-conservative explain the crisis of the welfare state beginning in the early 1970’s? What were the solutions that they proposed regarding this crisis?

Answer 10

1970’s the oil crisis, worldwide recession, stagflation, and fiscal crisis of the state. neo-conservative’s believed liberal policies could not manage the crisis and that their recovery plan could help people prosper. solutions cut social spending, private sector to restore economy, reduce union power, deregulate industry and limit controls on multinational corporations.

Question 11

What are the neo-conservative views on human nature? Given these views, what do neo-conservatives view as the role for the nation-state?

Answer 11

Humans are isolated and selfish driven by pleasures or desires. motivated by gain and power.

role support hierarchy and aristocracy and maintenance of such, as well as maintain law and order for the orderly management of trade and commerce.

social justice, it is the individuals responsibility.

Question 12

What is laissez-faire economics? (hand out)

Answer 12

Leave it alone, opposing government interference in the economic affairs beyond the minimum necessary for the maintenance of peace and property rights

Question 13

What is a market economy? (p. 80-81)

Answer 13

Buyers and sellers come together supply and demand affect prices.
Neo-conservatives view these concepts as the building blocks of a good society.
It promotes competitive capitalism and freedom to acquire, accumulate and own property.

Question 14

What is the nature of social work practice based on a neo-conservative perspective? What are the strengths and limitations of this approach? (p.86-87)

Answer 14

• Separation of deserving poor from non-deserving poor
• strengths deserving poor would not be treated as non-deserving by counterparts.
• Limitations determining who is deserving. As well as focus on behaviour rather than helping.

Question 15

Chapter 4: The Liberal Paradigm

How do liberal views of human nature differ from neo-conservatives? What implications does this have regarding how liberals and neo-conservatives view the role of the nation-state in society?

Answer 15

People naturally moral rational, competitive co-operative. (p. 97)

connect the well-being of society to the well being of the individual. Individuals interact with each other, satisfy individual interests

Question 16

Why do Wilding and George describe liberals as reluctant collectivists?

Answer 16

represents broad ideas and therefore has lost its way. maintains that the liberals have shared values with conservatism. (p. 94)

Question 17

What is the concept of equal opportunity? What are the limitations of this concept?

Answer 17

Equal opportunity:
-everyone has access to education, job market, social services etc.
Limitations:
does not consider some ppl in society, b/c of social position and access to resources,
-no obligations/responsibility to others; ppl left to their own devices

Question 18

What is pluralism? What are the limitations of this concept? Give examples.

Answer 18

-liberal political power divided among competing interest groups no one group dominates another
Limitations: -strongest organized groups have their interests prevail over their counterparts
-those not belonging to an interest group not be represented
-interest groups may make decisions that are not responsive to needs/wishes of the memberships
Examples: banks are strong/well-organized, will be heard over smaller group of women fighting for their interests

Question 19

What are the liberal view of social problems and their view of social welfare? What are the limitations of this perspective?

Answer 19

-do not place blame for social problems solely on individual social problems occur b/c flaws in capitalist system
-role deal with existing social problems; achieve for all citizens the “social minimum”
Limitations: not proactive, does not consider root causes of social problems;

Question 20

The Social Democratic Paradigm:
What are the key differences between revolutionary and evolutionary socialism? What approach would social democracy embrace? Explain. (p. 116)

Answer 20

• Revolutionary socialism – use of forcible measures to assume political power
• Evolutionary socialism – election of organized workers’ political party
• Social democracy embrace the evolutionary approach.
• peaceful means otherwise contaminate socialism

Question 21

What are the key differences between the social beliefs of social democrats and liberals? Provide examples

Answer 21

social democrats
-primary value is equality:
-social integration >reduction in inequalities reduces feelings of isolation
-economic efficiency >inequalities experiences little social mobility
-natural rights > ppl have greater opportunity due to luck or genetic lottery
-Individual realization> denies opportunity to realize full potential
-*liberals equality of opportunity, objective narrow gap between rich and poor
Social beliefs of liberals
-individualism key value >pursuit of self-interest
-equal opportunity >lib do not believe some ppl have advantages due to social position example the children of wealthy people get a head start in life, like having a 50 metre head start in a 100 metre race

Question 22

What are the differences between the view of social problems of social democrats and neo-conservatives? Provide examples

Answer 22

Social democrats’ view
-conflict:race, religion, profession, region, gender, economic status
-racism, poverty, pollution are contests over acquisition/control of desirable resources
-social problems not the result of deviance but normal consequences
Neo-conservatives’ view of social problems
- ppl should provide for themselves
-helping who fail to provide for themselves promotes idleness, dependence on government
-does not believe structural or environmental sources as causes of social problems

Question 23

Social work practice from a social democratic perspective believes the “personal is political”. Explain this concept

Answer 23

social worker’s personal practices contain political ends; individual problems are part of a bigger social problem
-example: if problem is unemployment and over one million Canadians are unemployed, does not mean there are over one million unique personal problems > means one social problem affecting over one million workers

Question 24

What are the major criticisms of social democracy?

Answer 24

• does not move capitalist society closer to socialist society
• leads to centralized and elitist control of planning/decision-making
• welfare state has not produced desired reduction in inequalities

Question 25

Marxist/Third Way

According to Marxists, what are some of the functions of poverty in a capitalist society?

Answer 25

• poverty wages down profits up
• capitalism needs poor workforce to perform dangerous work/menial tasks
• poverty enhances wealthy peoples’ feelings of superiority
• poor ppl are scapegoats for society’s problems
• poverty contributes to lower unemployment

Question 26

What are the key beliefs of Marxists regarding the concept of liberty? Explain how the Marxist concept of liberty is different from a neo-conservative and liberal view of liberty.

Answer 26

-only exist if certain other conditions present in society such as economic security and equality.
-do not believe true liberty for all can occur in capitalist society based on inequality
-equate liberty with equality of economic circumstances
Neo-conservative view of liberty: equate liberty with inequality
Liberals: equate liberty with equal opportunity

Question 27

What are the main criticisms of Marxism? (p. 154, 155)

Answer 27

• no working model of advanced socialism that Marxists can point to
• capitalist societies comprise two classes and all conflict runs along class lines
• claim state is representative of capitalist class
• contradicts view of welfare state: during good times, focus on broader political implications of welfare state, neglecting its benefits to ppl/families; in bad times, Marxists champion welfare state

Question 28

What are the main themes of Third Way welfare reform? (p.191, 192, 193)

Answer 28

central premise > welfare system expect more from those who receive assistance
social exclusion > bringing people back into the mainstream
-government should not be provider, but enabler by contracting private-sector agencies to deliver services

Question 29

What are the main criticisms of the Third Way? (p.199, 200

Answer 29

• victimize vulnerable ppl
• emphasizes participation in labour force at expense of other contributions to community
• ignores concentration of private wealth/power
• no effective way of dealing with ecological issue
• does nothing for losers in globalization process
• redirects obligations of collective community to individuals