Three Key Feature of US welfare policy

1
Three Key Feature of US welfare policy

• Public attitude- who deserves to benefit
• Timing of the Welfare state
• Federalism

2
Patterns of Policy-Making

• Majoritarian entitlement
• every benefits, everyone pays
• No means test
• Social Security, Medicare
• Client based
• few benefit, almost everyone pays
• Means tested
• Medicaid, Food Stamps, AFDC
• Political Implications

3
Social Security

• Previous system
• FDR Plan
• Insurance for unemployed and elderly
• AFDC assistance for blind, dependents
• Different administration and eligibility standards

4
AFDC Erosion of Consensus

• Increased federal requirements increase costs to
  states
  
• Public opinion sours
• Changing composition of AFDC recipients

5
Client Politics

• benefits of proposal go to a relatively small
  group, but the public at large pays
  
• Initially uncontroversial
• Politics depends on legitimacy of recipients
• AFDC recipients lose legitimacy

6
Majoritarian Politics

• Requires popular and elite views
• Once passed, becomes politically invulnerable
• Save social security and medicare
• remain good politics unless costs to voters
  exceed their benefits

7
1996 Welfare Reform

• Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act
• Block grants
• Time limits
• Work requirements

8
Interpreting Welfare Reform

• Balancing the budget
• Not much saving
• Poor bear brunt for budget cuts are 24 of non
  defense spending, but 53 of reductions
  
• Shredding the safety net?
• State benefits varied under AFDC
• Federal spending on poor not ended

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Conclusion

• Popular approval for social welfare programs is a
  function of benefits and costs
  
• SS widely distributed benefits and costs, creates
  majoritarian politics
  
• AFDC- narrowly distributed benefits depends on
  publics perception of worthiness/deserving of
  recipients
  
• Save SS End Welfare as we know it

11
Implications

• Is bad policy good politics
• Means testing social security
• Assistance for college
• Middle Class entitlements
• Politically more attractive, also more expensive