Chapter 13

What important noncontributory program was abolished by Congress in 1996?

Aid to Families with Dependent Children

What do public-opinion polls reveal about welfare policies?

Americans view welfare beneficiaries as "undeserving"

Which program was designed to help augment the benefits to the aged, blind, and disabled?

Supplemental Security Income

Social Security is a good example of ________.

a contributory program

Which of the following was a key part of President Obama's overhaul of No Child Left Behind?

a proposal that states could apply for waivers that would exempt them from some of the requirements of No Child Left Behind

Which of the following statements about Social Security is FALSE?

contributors receive benefits in strict proportions to their contribution

Medicare is a ________ program; Medicaid is a ________ program.

contributory; noncontributory

Which of the following programs most benefits the working poor?

earned income tax credits

The idea that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to achieve their goals is called ________.

equality of opportunity

The G.I. Bill of Rights of 1944 and the National Defense Education Act of 1958 were examples of the

federal governments approach to education policy during the 1940s and 1950s

The power to raise or lower the tax rate is part of ________.

fiscal policy

In 2007 and 2008, the government faced a housing crisis caused by

foreclosures

Which statement is the key argument of John Maynard Keynes?

government can pull an economy out of a recession by stimulating demand and creating a cycle of increased production and jobs

Which of the following is the strongest factor in predicting which groups in society receive the most benefits from government's social policies?

groups that are the most politically powerful

How did deregulation of the mortgage industry in 1999 help produce the housing crisis of 2007 and 2008?

it allowed many new mortgage companies to form, offering "predatory" loans that people could not afford to repay

Which of the following statements about the No Child Left Behind Act is FALSE?

it creates a standard national test for all students

How did the Great Depression change American attitudes about welfare?

it revealed that poverty could be caused by a flawed economic system, not just by personal irresponsibility

The best way for Federal Reserve Board officials to help boost a stagnant economy is to

lower interest rates so that banks can provide more loans at cheaper rates to individuals and businesses

Part of the reason welfare programs became so unpopular was that

many Americans came to believe that welfare recipients did not want to work

A(n) ________ benefit is one where potential recipients must document their genuine need.

means tested

Which of the following is a program of forced savings?

medicare

Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

men are more likely to be poor than women

Which of the following LEAST explains why the elderly receive a large share of social benefits?

most members of Congress are elderly or soon will be

The goals of American social policy are

often controversial

Public policy can be embodied in all of the following forms EXCEPT a(n) ________.

petition

A way to reduce the disparities in wealth between the rich and poor is called a(n) ________.

policy of redistribution

The central thrust of federal housing policy has been to

promote home ownership

An officially expressed purpose or goal backed by a sanction is a ________.

public policy

Charter schools are best described as

public schools that are free to design special curricula

A cost-of-living adjustment is based on the

rate of inflation

The goals of social policy

reflect changing views about which risks should be borne by the individual or shared by society

Which of the following groups are more than twice as likely as other Americans to be below the poverty line?

single mothers

What is the shadow welfare state?

social benefits that are distributed by private employers who are being subsidized by the government

The welfare reforms of 1996 did all of the following EXCEPT

take the federal government out of welfare policy, granting all authority to the states

________ were the centerpiece of George W. Bush's economic policy.

tax cuts

________ are programs where the government provides a tax deduction for spending on health insurance and other benefits by both employers and employees.

tax expenditures

When did the American welfare state begin?

the 1930's

When did Keynesian economic ideas lead to a revolution in thinking about the role of the government in the economy?

the 1930s

Which of the following statements about noncontributory programs is FALSE?

the existence of these programs dates back to the Civil War

What event brought federal attention to elementary school education?

the fear that the Soviets were winning the Cold War through better technology

Which of the following statements about noncontributory programs, such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and Medicaid, is most accurate?

the federal government provides only some of the funding for these programs, and, as a result, citizens receive very different levels of benefits in different states

Which of the following groups receives the most benefits from government's social policies?

the middle class

Since the welfare reforms of 1996, what is the primary reason for receiving federal cash assistance if one is nonworking and able-bodied?

the recipient is caring for children

Which of the following can be concluded from the results of the 1996 welfare reforms?

the reforms have reduced the number of people on welfare but have done little to reduce poverty

The "individual mandate" of the Affordable Care Act refers to

the requirement that uninsured individuals purchase health insurance

Why have politicians always favored using subsidies to promote certain economic activities?

they can be treated as benefits that can be spread widely in response to many demands

What was the primary problem with private charities before the development of the welfare state?

they would make subjective decisions on who was deserving aid

Which of the following is the best example of the shadow welfare state?

workplace medical insurance

The U.S. Public Health Service was founded in ________.

1798

Medicare was established in ________.

1965

About ________ percent of America's children live in poverty.

22

Between 1959 and 2012, the percentage of elderly Americans living in poverty went from about ________ percent to ________ percent.

35; 10

AARP has a membership of approximately ________ members.

40 million

Which of the following statements is true?

all of the above

The "feminization of poverty" is

both a and b

Which of the following statements is true?

both b and c

The Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program is administered

by the states, with benefit levels varying between the states

Which of the following groups receives the least benefits from government's social policies?

children

Why is it difficult to lobby for the interests of poor children?

children cannot vote

Which of the following was important in caring for the poor during the nineteenth century?

churches and religious organizations

During the New Deal, ________ theory that a government could boost employment by stimulating demand became quite influential.

John Maynard Keynes's

Which of the following is an in-kind benefit?

Medicaid

President ________ vowed "to end welfare as we know it."

Bill Clinton

What event marked the major historical turning point in the relationship between the government and the marketplace?

The Great Depression

Which of the following was NOT included in the congressional plans for health care reform?

a public option allowing individuals to acquire medical coverage directly from the government

There are considerable disparities in benefits from state to state in noncontributory programs because

state governments are given grants-in-aid from the federal government to establish and operate their own programs rather than having one uniform national program

________ are government grants of cash or other valuable commodities, such as land, that are used to promote activities desired by government leaders.

subsidies