Week 1 Review Questions

Question 1

What are the three categories of welfare devised by Richard Titmuss?

Answer 1

1. Fiscal welfare
2. Social welfare
3. Occupational welfare

Question 2

Describe occupational welfare

Answer 2

• occupational = work

- state funded, legislated, or sanctioned benefits that accrue to employees over and above their pay

Question 3

Examples of occupational welfare include?

Answer 3

• superannuation
• company shares/cars
• bonuses
• employer funded child care/ health insurance

Question 4

What are the key points of occupational welfare? (hint:3)

Answer 4

• state sanctioned
• over and above normal pay
• generally provided and paid for by the employer rather than government

Question 5

Which category of welfare is often excluded from discussion of welfare? Why?

Answer 5

occupational welfare because,

• it is treated differently than income for tax purposes and is sometimes not taxed
• can argue for inclusion of sick pay, paid holidays, long service leave and other ‘standard’ employment benefits - contested

Question 6

Describe Fiscal welfare

Answer 6

• fiscal = financial role of government
• ‘payments’ made by the State through tax system
• in the form of tax exemptions/deductions, people can claim to reduce their tax liabilities
• often overlooked, but is foregone tax revenue or ‘tax expenditure’

Question 7

Examples of fiscal welfare?

Answer 7

• tax deductions for self education
• negative gearing of investments, commonly used in housing
• private health insurance rebate
• family tax benefits

Question 8

what is a key aspect of fiscal welfare?

Answer 8

tends to be REGRESSIVE (richer people benefit more than poorer people)

Question 9

what is often the most visible form of welfare, and open to public scrutiny/debate/political manipulation?

Answer 9

social welfare

Question 10

what are the two components of social welfare?

Answer 10

1. government funded social services (provided by commonwealth, state, local govs./ other funded agencies)
2. government direct cash benefits

Question 11

examples of social welfare?

Answer 11

• community services for general community (library, sports, parks)
• community and social services for particular needs (family support, immunisation, child protection, homelessness)
• public+community housing
• public education (fund private schools/university)
• public health care
• public transport

Question 12

which welfare is vital for the poor?

Answer 12

social welfare

Question 13

who commonly consumes social welfare?

Answer 13

middle class, sometimes disproportionately