WELFARE STATE.   Term Paper ID:19835 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Reasons for success in Western Europe & failure in U.S. Background, politics, law.... More...

7 Pages / 1575 Words 7 sources, 15 Citations, TURABIAN Format $28.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Reasons for success in Western Europe & failure in U.S. Background, politics, law. Paper Introduction: The Welfare State The level of success or failure of the welfare state depends on the nature of the political process, ethnic and social demographics, and the cultural ethos of the structure of policy implementation of the particular country. Given the criteria for success or failure, how have Europe and the United States fared with respect to the level of public acceptance and the political consequences of the implementation of the welfare state? Why does Europe have more of a tradition with the welfare state than does the United States? Why has the European model been more successful? The welfare state had its beginnings in the mature stage of the industrial revolution. This stage was marked by conglomeration on the part of industrialists and the development Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Power and Policy in Western European Democracies. They can make grants up to 5 percent, to aspecific limit, in order to improve private property.[1 ] Although Europe and the United States have a common Western heritage,there are many differences. [3]Theodore R. Only fullpolitical support and the acknowledgement that the welfare state is alegitimate element of the democratic process will warrant support fromunions and business. Marmor, Jerry L. Employersand unions have generally not provided jobs and training for economicallydisadvantaged groups. Irwin, 1984), 619. Mashaw, and Philip L. This stage was marked by conglomeration on the partof industrialists and the development of labor unions. The fact that the bulk ofthe welfare state was maintained under the Reagan administration was novictory. The ComprehensiveEmployment and Training Act of 1973 (CETA) passed during the Nixonadministration. [8]Charles H. Among its parts wereprograms to help children too young for school, to provide jobs for teens,to provide job training for welfare recipients, and to create jobs forolder people in rural areas. The Social Security system makes up an important part ofwelfare services. The Political Theory of Swedish Social Democracy: Through the Welfare State to Socialism. This program emphasized more government action to stimulate theeconomy; however, because of legislative setbacks, it was mainlyrhetorical. An important principle in Swedish educationis that an opportunity will be given to anyone wishing to continueeducation after the compulsory period. Theunderlying premise was that individuals prefer gainful employment to thedole.[3] The most important law was the Manpower Development and Training Act(MDTA) of 1962 and its later amendments. Government programs andlegislation passed in Reagan's administration showed that most of theprograms inherited by the Reagan administration were still in place andthat funding levels, while lower in places, were similar to those of theCarter administration.[8] Sweden is usually regarded as the leader in social welfare andcitizens' rights.[9] Compulsory health-insurance programs reimburse allbut small portions of doctors' fees, hospital treatment and medical fees.The national pension system is paid, beginning at 67, to all citizens andto foreigners with a certain length of residency. The state government was the sponsor when local sponsors couldnot run their own programs.[6] The middle class enjoyed benefits such asstudent grants and loans and other aid for higher education. Counseling, careerassessment, job development and job placement services were also included.Training pay, as well as money for transportation and tools, was alsoprovided.[4] On November 27, 1963, before a joint session of Congress, Pres.Lyndon B. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 199 .Hirsch, Werner Z. In Sweden, for instance, policy is generallydecisions made jointly by employers and unions.[14] Political parties that have been identified with the welfareestablishment run the risk of diminished popularity when people aredisenchanted with the welfare system. Harvey. [7]Ibid. [4]Ray F. NewYork: Basic Books, 199 .Marshall, Ray F., M. Hirsch, Urban Economics (New York: Macmillan, 1984), 43.----------------------- 9 Cities andcounties with more than 1 , people could become local prime sponsors ofprograms. The Kennedyadministration proposal represented a new approach in that it emphasizedservices in addition to support, rehabilitation instead of relief, andtraining for useful work instead of prolonged dependency. The problem can be compounded whenethnically unpopular groups are viewed as the major recipients of welfare,as is the case in Great Britain and the United States. In the United States, implementation took three forms: judicialdecisions, executive orders and legislative acts. [9]Tim Tilton, The Political Theory of Swedish Social Democracy:Through the Welfare State to Socialism (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 199 ), 6-8. [13]Ibid., 633. The tactic wasto break the poverty connections between generations. In Great Britain, the National Health Service began on July 5, 1948.Every person is entitled to free medical treatment of every kind. [2]David M. The Politics of Social Solidarity: Class Bases of the European Welfare State 1875-1975. causes nonproperty tax bases to decline, further reducingthe central cities' overall tax receipts."[15] This further complicateslocal governments' ability to fund welfare programs. Given the criteria for success or failure, how have Europe andthe United States fared with respect to the level of public acceptance andthe political consequences of the implementation of the welfare state? The next phase of the welfare state concerned the broadening ofservices to include members of the middle class. MDTA provided money foroccupational training in classrooms or at jobs. The welfare state has become a means of socio-economicenfranchisement to those who have suffered social and politicalinequalities at the hands of traditional institutions. Strong emphasis is given to adulteducation. [15]Werner Z. Thus, the federal government has had to take theinitiative.[13] In Europe, the public and private sectors cooperate moreand coordinate programs more. [12]Marshall, 632. The welfare state had its beginnings in the mature stage of theindustrial revolution. . Levine, "The Federal Government in the Year 2 :Administrative Legacies of the Reagan Years," Public Administration Review,46 (3) (May/June 1986): 196. Nevertheless, in April 1961, legislators passed administration-sponsored aid to economically depressed areas. One of the reasons the welfare state has failed in the United Statesis the lack of support from unions and business. Homewood, IL: Richard D. Some major tenets of thewelfare state were developed by Pres. This set the stage forfurther developments in the evolution of the welfare state. This has madefinancing more difficult, especially for state and local governments, andhas made increased taxes necessary in order to compensate for currencydevaluations, which helped induce public dissent. [6]Marshall, 621. The state pays the balance. [11]Tilton, 28 . Briggs Vernon Jr., and Allen G. The catalyst for humanresource policy in the United States was the rise in the unemployment rate. However, in Europe, this policy evolved during very low unemployment.European policy was based on the idea that people should not suffer becauseof changes in society; therefore, their programs are more thorough.[12] During the Johnson administration, the president helped to establisha coalition of 22 business, civil rights, labor, municipal and religiousleaders in a public-private effort to find 1 million jobs and to build atleast 1 million building units a year for low-income families. The United Statesand Great Britain have had to contend with urban decay and depopulation.According to one expert, "The out-migration of middle- and upper-incomegroups . The Act combined many previous laws into one. King. Mashaw, and Philip L. [5]Ibid., 62 . (Homewood, IL: Richard D. Irwin, 1984.Levine, Charles H. BibliographyBaldwin, Peter. [1 ]Baldwin, 116-34. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 199 .Wood, David M. EOA had many parts bound together with one goal: focus onthe causes of poverty instead of giving money to the poor. The middle class had grown resentful of the welfareprocess in general. Because many people neededremedial education before that training, the law also provided money foradult basic education and English as a second language. The Welfare State The level of success or failure of the welfare state depends on thenature of the political process, ethnic and social demographics, and thecultural ethos of the structure of policy implementation of the particularcountry. "The Federal Government in the Year 2 :Administrative Legacies of the Reagan Years." Public Administration Review46 (3), (May/June 1986): 195-2 6.Tilton, Tim. Urban Economics. The welfare state seems to do better in ethnically homogeneoussocieties than in ethnically heterogeneous societies, which is ironic sinceit is the heterogeneous society which is most in need of a successfulwelfare apparatus. King, LaborEconomics, 5th ed. . Marshal, M. John F. America'sMisunderstood Welfare State: Persistent Myths, Enduring Realties. More important, only this type of support will conveythe message to the traditionally disenfranchised that they will be includedin the civil bureaucracy. Notwithstanding the efforts to stem the growth of federal programs,the inertia had already been established. Localauthorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that housing in theirdistrict is acceptable. In November 1964, Johnson wonre-election with an unprecedented popular majority, which he interpreted asa mandate to pursue his domestic reform program, intended to establish whathe termed the "Great Society." Johnson's skill as a parliamentarystrategist helped push through an impressive amount of welfare legislation. Briggs Vernon Jr., and Allen G. Since 1968, there have been free daytime and evening classes. European countries enjoy strong centralizedgovernments, whereas states' rights is a prominent feature of the U.S.system. Unemployment insurance is based on voluntary premiums,but it is subsidized by the state. This bad publicity, along with Congress' willingnessto reduce taxes and spending, created a hostile climate for the debate onwelfare.[7] The stage was set for a policy change. [14]Ibid. In Europe, therewas a tradition of collaboration between labor unions and parliamentarysystems in trying to form a more comprehensive version of the industrialstate, one that took into account the development of human resources.[1]The economic disasters of the 192 's and 193 's instilled a desire inleaders of both the left and the right in Western Europe and in the UnitedStates to implement Keynesian economics as a way of smoothing out thefluctuations of the business cycle.[2] This provided the rationale for thewelfare state. Why has the European model been more successful? Children's allowancesare paid for each child under 16, and every mother receives a stipend ateach childbirth. In May, Congress approvedan increase in the minimum wage from $1 to $1.25. Harvey, America'sMisunderstood Welfare State: Persistent Myths, Enduring Realties (NewYork: Basic Books, 199 ), 43-45. Unions and private employees often worktogether on programs. Wood, Power and Policy in Western European Democracies (NewYork: Macmillan, 1986), 28. Whydoes Europe have more of a tradition with the welfare state than does theUnited States? Employees make a weekly contribution, which issupplemented by the employer. Right before its renewal in 1978, CETA received lots of presscoverage for abuse, mismanagement and even fraud in some programs by a fewprime sponsors. School attendance is compulsory fornine years beginning at age 7. It started community action agencies, whichgot involved in voter registration, day care and health services.[5] Amongother proposals in the Great Society enacted by Congress were Medicare,providing hospital and nursing-home care for people over 65 under theSocial Security Act, two new executive departments--Housing and UrbanDevelopment, and Transportation--and a measure to aid cities to rebuildtheir blighted areas. The objectivewas to reduce dependency to encourage self-care and support, to maintainfamily life when it was adequate and to restore it when it was not. The United States has always been a heterogeneous nation with manycultures.[11] After achieving post-World-War-II booms, both Europe and the UnitedStates suffered inflation accompanied by employment. Johnson paid tribute to his predecessor and called for promptenactment of measures Kennedy had proposed. Labor Economics, 5th ed. Also, European culture has been traditionally homogeneous untillately. New York: Macmillan, 1986.----------------------- [1]Peter Baldwin, The Politics of Social Solidarity: Class Bases ofthe European Welfare State 1875-1975 (Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPress, 199 ), 4-9. In 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) passed, and the "War onPoverty" began. New York: Macmillan, 1984.Marmor, Theodore R., Jerry L. Thelocal authorities have a legal responsibility to provide maternity andchild-welfare services, home nursing, health visiting and mental disordertreatment. The Reagan administration was the first administration sinceHoover's to oppose openly the welfare state philosophically. However,this was the exception to welfare programs in the United States. Kennedy in his New Frontierprogram. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.