NAME:
CLASS BLOCK:
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN ASSIGNMENT
AP U.S. Government and Politics: Chapter 18: Social Welfare Policymaking
Directions:
· Answer the following questions in short-answer essay format – complete sentences, concise but articulate answers, check your spelling before you finish, and as always, DO YOUR OWN WORK IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
· Your answers must be indented, typed in bold, blue-color, Times New Roman, 12-point font, single-spaced. Leave one blank line between your answer and the next question. Please use this format in this assignment and all similar assignments in this course.
· Be sure to be specific, using terms and vocabulary from this chapter in the Government in America textbook. Through your answers, prove to your instructor and yourself that you’ve done the reading and that you understand the concepts.
· When it is appropriate, use specific examples that are relevant to the question (using examples from contemporary news reports is most helpful, here).
Chapter 18 Questions for Review
By the end of this chapter on Social Welfare Policymaking, the folks who create the AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam that (hopefully) you will be taking in May want you to understand the debate over social welfare policy in the United States.
1. Define “social welfare policies.”
2. What is the difference between entitlement programs and means-tested programs?
Entitlement programs:
Means-tested programs:
Students taking the APGovPol Exam in May and those enrolled in this course will need to understand the nature of wealth and poverty and how public policy affects income in the U.S.
3. What is the difference between income and wealth?
Income:
Wealth:
4. How does the U.S. Bureau of the Census define poverty?
5. What are the three types of taxes and how can each affect individuals’ incomes?
a.
b.
c.
6. What is meant by a “transfer payment”? Give an example.
Transfer payment:
Example of a transfer payment:
7. Make a list of three entitlement programs and three means-tested programs.
Entitlement Programs / Means-Tested Programsa. / a.
b. / b.
c. / c.
Anyone who takes the APGovPol Exam or takes the course will need to understand the evolution of social welfare programs in the United States.
8. Complete the following table by listing one major social welfare act or program during the New Deal Era (Franklin Roosevelt), the Great Society Era (Lyndon Johnson), and the Reagan and Clinton administrations.
Era / Social Welfare Act/ProgramNew Deal
Great Society
Reagan
Clinton
9. List the three major provisions of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act.
a.
b.
c.
Students, test-takers, and anyone who comes near Mr. Whitney’s room during APGovPol class blocks will need to understand the debate concerning the future of social welfare policy… including you…
10. Briefly explain the major problem facing the Social Security program today.
11. What are the major arguments for and against the privatization of Social Security?
Major arguments in favor of privatization of Social Security include:
Major arguments against the privatization of Social Security include:
The APGovPol Exam will likely require students to explain how social welfare policy in other countries differs from that in the United States.
12. List three ways in which social welfare in the United States differs from most Western European countries.
a.
b.
c.
There really is a place for social welfare policies and programs in the United States, and they do contribute to the size and scope of the federal government. Oh, and state governments, too. Just how that all happens is another feature of APGovPol students will need to understand.
13. What is the difference between the poor and the elderly in terms of their ability to influence social welfare policy?
The poor:
The elderly:
14. In what ways has social welfare policy increased the scope of government?
1