STANDARD COMPETENCIES:

 

 I.      Identify paradigms, problems, alternatives, interpretation, evaluation, and procedures involved in the policy-making process.

 II.     Discuss historical backgrounds and trends from the English Poor Law to the contemporary Social Security Act of 1935.

 III.    Differentiate among legislative intent, executive implementation, and judicial review of social welfare issues.

 IV.     Describe systemic and institutional forces for the causes of and the conditions of poverty.

 V.      Identify the elements of social insurance and public assistance and their policy formulation; and the implementation implications for the federal budget deficit and intergenerational equity.

 VI.     Describe the historical and contextual factors and competing political ideologies around issues of poverty.

 VII.    Articulate policy choices in health care and regarding ethics, implications, and compromises surrounding those choices.

 VIII.   Describe the issues of racism and sexism that have systemic causes that are built into our `democratic` institutions and `free enterprise` system.

 IX.     Describe the new federalism and give examples of federal funding strategies for social welfare programs.

 X       Explain the history, regulatory climate, eligibility requirements and benefits, delivery of services to children, issues of intergenerational equity, and the progress of welfare reform.

 TOPICAL OUTLINE:

 

 I.      Politics, Rationalism & Social Welfare

         A.      Politics and Social Welfare Policy

         B.      Rational Approach to Social Welfare Policy

         C.      Political Approach to Social Welfare Policy

         D.      Policy-Making Process

 II.     Government and Social Welfare

         A.      Historical Perspective on Social Welfare

         B.      Factors in the Expansion of Social Welfare

         C.      Federalism and the Financing of Social Welfare

         D.      Contemporary Trends and Impacts

 III.    Implementing and Evaluating Social Welfare Policy

         A.      Implementing Public Policy

         B.      Politics of Implementation

         C.      Evaluating Public Policy Programs

         D.      Rational versus Political Approaches to Evaluation

         E.      Bureaucratic Resistance to Evaluation

 IV.     Social Theory and the Definition of Poverty

         A.      Defining Poverty

         B.      Conditions of Poverty

         C.      Theoretical Models of Poverty

 V.      Preventing Poverty:  Social Insurance Programs

         A.      Social Insurance

         B.      Public Assistance

         C.      Intergenerational Equity and the Federal Deficit

 VI.     Political Issues and Poverty

         A.      Historical Review of Previous Public Policies

         B.      Rational and Political Approaches to Poverty

         C.      Analysis of Major Legislative Acts on Poverty

         D.      Political Approaches to Poverty: Liberal and conservative

 VII.    Issues of Public Policy and Health Care

         A.      Historical Approaches to Public Policy and Health

         B.      Comparative Analysis of Health Care in Other Countries

         C.      Public versus Private Health Care Provision

         D.      Budget Implications of Various Approaches to Health Care

         E.      Health Care Prevention versus Intervention

         F.      Ethics of Health Care Quality of Life Decisions

 VIII.   Institutionalized Racism and Sexism in Social Welfare

         A.      History of Discrimination and Supreme Court Cases

         B.      Political Agendas; Liberal versus Conservative

         C.      Review of Major Legislative Efforts

         D.      Gender and Racial Issues on Poverty

         E.      `Illegal` Immigration and Welfare

 IX.     Providing Social Services

         A.      Defining Social Services

         B.      Providers of Social Services and Their Clients

         C.      Social Services Development in the United States

         D.      Federal Bureaucracy and Overlapping Jurisdictions

         E.      Federalism and Financing Social Welfare

 X       Assisting Poor Families

         A.      History of the aid to Families and Children

         B.      Growth and Development of the AFDC Program

         C.      Eligibility Requirements and Benefits

         D.      Impacts of Welfare on the Family Structure

         E.      Political Approaches to Welfare Reform