"The United States spends approximately $2.3 trillion dollars on federal and state social programs."
The understanding of the political and economic factors that shape social welfare policy and the ways in which social services are designed and delivered.
History of social welfare policy: This topic covers the historical development of social welfare policy in the United States, including the social and economic forces that influenced its creation and evolution.
Social welfare policy frameworks: This topic explores the various theoretical frameworks that underlie social welfare policy, including liberalism, conservatism, socialism, and feminism.
Social welfare policy analysis: This topic covers the methods and techniques used to analyze social welfare policy, including policy evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, and impact assessment.
Social welfare programs and services: This topic provides an overview of the various social welfare programs and services that are available in the United States, including the Social Security system, Medicaid, and food assistance programs.
Social welfare policy advocacy: This topic covers the various strategies and tactics used by advocates to influence social welfare policy, including lobbying, grassroots organizing, and public education campaigns.
Social welfare policy and inequality: This topic explores the ways in which social welfare policy can either exacerbate or alleviate social and economic inequality, as well as the factors that influence policy outcomes.
International social welfare policy: This topic provides an overview of social welfare policies in other countries, comparing and contrasting them with policies in the United States.
Ethical considerations in social welfare policy: This topic examines the ethical considerations that arise in social welfare policy, including issues of distributive justice, autonomy, and paternalism.
"Social programs in the United States include cash assistance, health insurance, food assistance, housing subsidies, energy and utilities subsidies, and education and childcare assistance."
"Similar benefits are sometimes provided by the private sector either through policy mandates or on a voluntary basis."
"American social programs vary in eligibility with some, such as public education, available to all while others, such as housing subsidies, are available only to a subsegment of the population."
"Programs are provided by various organizations on a federal, state, local, and private level."
"They help to provide basic needs such as food, shelter, education, and healthcare to residents of the U.S."
"Subsidies for higher education, unemployment and disability insurance, subsidies for eligible low-wage workers, subsidies for housing, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, pensions, and health insurance programs."
"Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program are prominent social programs."
"Research shows that U.S. government programs that focus on improving the health and educational outcomes of low-income children are the most effective."
"Benefits [of social programs] substantial enough that the government may even recoup its investment over time due to increased tax revenue from adults who were beneficiaries as children."
"Veto points in the U.S. structure of government make social programs in the United States resilient to fundamental change."