Welfare the American Welfare State Is Best

Welfare

The American welfare state is best viewed through the lens of a liberal point-of-view. In fact, the American welfare state can only be viewed through the liberal lens, because a conservative lens tends to disavow the efficacy of social welfare programs. In the United States, conservative views discount the role of government whereas liberal points-of-view champion the ability of government to create a better society via collective quality of life improvements.

The American welfare state has not been as strong as it could be, partly because it is not rooted in strong traditions. Social welfare programs such as those that began during the New Deal have become somewhat entrenched, but there have been many instances in which the United States proves itself ambivalent toward social welfare programs. The American ideology and mythos is built on the myth of meritocracy, which is part of the problem.

Three economic schools of thought include There are several schools of economic thought. The Keynesian school seeks to explain economic conditions on the basis of demand. New classical economics takes a different perspective, emphasizing microeconomics and rationality as the basis for its models. A third economic school of thought is Marxist economics, which based on Marx's writing on the nature of capitalism, not the systems used in Communist countries. Both new classical economics and Keynesian economics argue from a point of natural equilibrium, the former emphasizing the role of the markets to achieve equilibrium and the latter working within the framework of fiscal and monetary policy to achieve equilibrium.

4. Social welfare policy refers to any political policy, program, or institution with a mission of helping achieve social justice and equity. Welfare programs are based on the assumption that creating equity contributes to the betterment of society for all people. Moreover, social welfare policy is defined by the diversion of funds from sources like taxpayer dollars to programs for helping those in need. Therefore, social welfare policy reflects a philosophical and ethical outlook.

5. Not all social programs become welfare policy. Some social problems do not become welfare policies per se. For example, if there is an anti-drug or anti-smoking campaign, those are social issues not classified under the rubric of social welfare policy. Generally, social welfare policies protect the poor and economically disenfranchised.

Policy Analysis:

1. Defining the problem and evaluating the criteria are important first steps in analyzing the social welfare policy in the United States. During this step, poverty is quantified. The evaluation criteria include variables related to geography and demographics, but poverty cannot be assessed via income alone.