Unveiling the Welfare State: A Sociological Exploration

1. Welcome to Sociology 240Social Welfare

2. Agenda • Syllabus Questions? • How this course fits into the HS concentration • What is the Welfare State? • Who uses welfare to survive? • Surviving in the low wage job market – assignment for next week.

3. Part of The Human Services Sequence • Soc 240 Social Welfare –How Society Helps People in Need (focus on using data to analyze different approaches) • http://www.monkeysee.com/play/17261-choosing-to-be-a-social-worker • Soc 341 Human Services Caseload Management –How You Personally Might Help People in Need (focus on internship and database technology) • Soc 402 Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation –You Design a Program to Help People in Need (focus on evaluating if it works)

4. Jansson Reading for Today- Chapter 1 • What is a Social Problem? (page 1) • Poverty • Discrimination • Disease • Who, according to Jansson, has often experienced a disproportionate burden of social problems? (p1) • African Americans • Older persons • Women • Native Americans • Latinos • Gay Men and lesbians • Children • Persons with chronic physical disabilities • Persons with psychiatric disorders • Persons accused of violating laws From The New Yorker Sociologist’s Book of Cartoons2004

5. What is the Welfare State? … In general, it is governmental efforts made to respond to and fix or ameliorate these social problems.

6. Let’s look at some “common” definitions of the welfare state…

7. What is a state? This can be confusing. • State: A government that claims the right to a given territory and its population • Nation: A people with shared economic and cultural interests • Nation-state: A term that combines the governmental and cultural connotations of both terms (Cherlin 2005)

8. Definitions: • Throughout this nation’s history, those who must bear the brunt of social problems – individuals contending with poverty, discrimination and disease – have depended in considerable measure not only on their personal and familial tenacity and on community supports but also on the policies of public and nonpublic agencies and of federal, state, and local governments. (Jansson, p1) • Welfare state – • Government enacts measures to protect workers and families from harsh effects of system—basis of current U.S. government assistance (Cherlin 2005) • welfare states or social welfare policy, • typically refers to the efforts of states (i.e. governments) to address economic insecurity and inequality due to risks to regular income. (Amenta et. al.)

9. risks to regular income. How does this occur? Requires an understanding of our economic system.

10. Economic Context of a Welfare State: Monopoly Game • Capitalist economy • People pass go get $200 –symbolize working • What happens when people must keep going around board (living) but cannot work (don’t collect $200)? • Have to pay others, get bankrupt, go to jail, homelessness (Housing Policy) • Starve? (Food Stamps) • Perhaps even revolt? (Piven and Cloward) • If independently wealthy and own a lot of property, will still make money, won’t be that bad off. http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/images/monopoly-board.png

11. risks to regular income Social Context of a Welfare State • What types of things might make a person not able to work and collect that $200? • Injury, Disability • Sickness • Death of Relative, need to assume new roles • Caregiving responsibility • Women expected to remain in home (historically based) • Racism, exclusion from a job • Old Age • Lay-Offs http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/images/monopoly-board.png

12. Exactly how we as a society help those in need (and who we consider deserving of help) has changed over time…

13. The Vast transition from Beggars to victims…. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/08/obama-jobs-plan-my-turn-into-campaign-issue/1 Nobless Oblige, Robber Barron Philanthropy, not until the Great Depression (and last year’s crisis) did everyone seem vulnerable http://www.castle-vidcons.com/2008/05/13/comic-25-alms-for-the-poor/ http://www.alliance1.org/newvoices/History.pdf http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~ridzifm/fmridzi_files/Social%20Welfare%20S04.htm http://www.cottesimple.com/alms_purse/luttrell_purse_alms.htm

14. With a Human Services Concentration, Where Might your Career Take You? • Sociologists can be: • Front-Line Staff • Social Workers • Administrators (Harry Hopkins) • Public and Agency Officials (FDR, LBJ, Perkins) • Elected Officials • Government and Non-Profit • Advocates (Mary McLeod Bethune) • Activists (Jane Addams Social Reformer) • Voters • Anywhere the welfare state is. • Web Mural

15. http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~ridzifm/fmridzi_files/Social%20Welfare%20S04.htmhttp://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~ridzifm/fmridzi_files/Social%20Welfare%20S04.htm

16. THEORETICAL& HISTORICAL • UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE SUCH POLICIES PLAY IN SOCIETY. • APPLIED • INCREASE Skills and FAMILIARITY WITH EFFORTS TO SOLVE “SOCIAL PROBLEMS” • POLITICAL • IMPROOVE ABILITY TO GRASP WHY PARTICULAR GROUPS ADVOCATE PARTICULAR SOCIAL WELFARE POLICIES. http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~ridzifm/fmridzi_files/Social%20Welfare%20S04.htm

17. But aside from helping people in your career …. You are already helping people (including yourself) – let’s look at your tax bill.

18. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/04/15/your-taxpayer-receipthttp://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/04/15/your-taxpayer-receipt

21. These are taxes to yourself – to pay for your personal insurance http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/04/15/your-taxpayer-receipt

22. SCHIP Prescriptions for seniors FDA CDC UI Food Stamps HUD EITC SSI As we will discuss, federal employees and railroad employees don’t participate in social security. “Welfare” Public School College Loans One Stop Centers VESID http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/04/15/your-taxpayer-receipt

23. Do your own tax receipt and use it as a guide to the rest of the course. • http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/04/15/your-taxpayer-receipt • I will ask you when we look at each section what percent of your tax bill goes to it.