SWK 315 8-11

Why is the refundability of a tax credit important to lower socioeconomic strata in American society?

These credits put money in the hands of the poor.

You see an advertisement on television seeking volunteers to support a social service program. The ad emphasizes a concern for community as opposed to personal gain and the freedom to conform to changes in local priorities. What structural interest is most likely represented in the ad?

Traditional voluntary sector providers.

You become convinced that very little is being done to help a specific marginalized group (for example, ex-offenders). Which structural interest is most likely to respond to this unmet need? D. Voluntary sector providers.

Voluntary sector providers.

If you believe that unregulated capitalism skews the distribution of resources and opportunities leaving subgroups vulnerable to income, employment and health insecurity, then you are probably:

a libertarian

If, on April 15 of each year, you file your federal income tax return with gratitude that so much misery is partially alleviated because of U. S. safety net programs, you are probably:

a progressive.

You believe that social welfare benefits should be available to people in America only after they have done all that they can to take care of themselves by working, relying on family and friends to help during rough times, and exhausting the help local nonprofits offer. You are most likely to be described as:

a residualist

Because of a scandal, local contributions to the community food pantry in your town have declined. People in need are now being referred to the state social service office to apply for supplemental nutritional assistance. How would you describe this change?

a shift from the voluntary sector to the federal govt

Upset that state budget cuts have curtailed funding for major programs serving people with disabilities, you organize a protest in your state capital with placards, large crowds, and public speakers. How would you best describe yourself with regards to your understanding of the policy process?

a social activist

State and local taxes in the United States are noted for being regressive (i.e., heavily based on sales taxes), asset-based (e.g., property taxes), and

almost wildly inconsistent from state to state

If you qualify for food assistance and receive an Earned Income Tax refund from the federal government each year, you are most likely to be:

an employed single parent with children

What is the most likely explanation for the contemporary emphasis on providing social welfare services through faith-based organizations?

an ideological commitment to smaller government

You are a consultant for a local nonprofit organization that is concerned about a decline in contributions. This nonprofit provides social services to the poor. What would you recommend as the first step to improve fundraising?

an increase in the number of federal and state grant applications.

Your job is to plan for the future of the organization for which you work. You determine that your organization is unlikely to be able to hire competent executives with the current salary structure in order to compete effectively with other organizations. Who are you most likely to be?

an officer in a nonprofit organization

Regardless of your household income, if you owe more money than you have managed to accumulate in assets, then you are most likely to be:

asset poor

One example that suggests that legislators spend more time on re-election that on public policy issues is:

assigning staff to constituency services

From a conservative perspective, there is an inverse relationship between taxation to support government social programs and:

autonomy.

The authors contend that the lack of influence over public policy by lower socioeconomic groups is built into the government decision process. How is that best indicated?

by making it more difficult for lower socioeconomic groups to vote.

Progressive taxation:

collects a larger share of income from people with high incomes than from low incomes in the form of taxes.

Life care services to the aged in continuing care retirement communities is an example of:

determining client needs and responding accordingly.

The authors believe that the public policy process is:

efficient and effective at implementing policy changes to respond to immediate needs for the general welfare.

One of the clearest examples of the government contracting out social welfare obligations is:

food stamps

Your policy proposal seems to have fallen on deaf ears at your state's capitol. None of staffers working for legislators appear interested in your ideas. At what stage of the policy process has your proposal failed?

formulation

You suggest a change in your agency that you believe will improve services to your clients, and you get approval to make this new change. Two months after you think the change has been made, you discover that two remote sites are still operating under the old rules. At what stage of the policy process has your proposal failed in those two sites?

implementation

While watching a televised news commentary, you hear one of the guests argue that private delivery of social welfare services is always more efficient that public services. Which of the following would this guest be most likely to support?

limiting government funding of social welfare services for only those who are truly needy.

A conservative is most likely to support tax increases for:

military

The best indication that social workers can still be influential in policy practice is the work being done by those:

operating on the local level.

What is the most challenging aspect of alleviating poverty through refundable tax expenditures?

protecting low-income people from predatory tax return preparation services.

You were invited to participate in the public protest organized in question 8.6 above, but did not attend because you consider politics a waste of time. Government seems to only listen to money. How would you describe yourself with regards to your

rationalist

With so much political pressure at the federal level to balance the budget, direct income transfers to the poor, a discretionary federal program, are likely to be in danger. As a social activist, what alternative federal mechanism would you advocate to replace direct income transfers?

refundable tax expenditures.

How brings the least resources to bear on the political process?

social advocacy groups

Approximately half of Americans get their health and welfare needs met through:

social security

An example of a targeted tax expenditure is:

the Hope learning credit.

Involvement of social workers in the formulation of social policy has been diminishing for four decades. How would you explain this trend?

the skills social workers develop for direct practice may leave them ill prepared for the analytical and informational demands of policy practice.

Which structural interest seems to have been in decline since the mid-1980s due to political opposition?

welfare bureaucrats

When trying to understand the status of a specific policy proposal, it is important to remember that money to fund the change is not actually available until:

when budget allocations are finalized

What do the three tax policies that have been central to U. S. social policy have in common?

All three were enacted to fund social programs.

From a progressive perspective, what argument of the anti-tax movement is likely to be most persuasive?

As a group, the top quintile already pays a larger proportion of federal taxes than their proportion of national income.

The shift from a national reliance on public social services to a renewal of the voluntary sector since President Reagan is:

B. a movement that has been primarily advanced by Republican presidents.

You work three years with a community collaborative promoting extension of food benefits to ex-offenders. A state legislator has sponsored the bill, but the Speaker of the House does not refer it to committee until the last day of the legislative session. At what stage of the policy process has your proposal failed?

B. legislation

Corporate welfare is most egregious in which federal department?

Department of Agriculture

Which of the following statements is most like to reflect the viewpoint of a liberal social activist?

Private practice social work is not fully compatible with a professional