Deck 5: Socialeconomic Analysis

Question 1

___________ constitute what is probably the most important dimension for understanding social welfare policy

A)goal orientation
B)moral orientation
C)cost/benefit calculations
D)values

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the questions below is central to resource allocation amid scarcity?

A)Do the policy measures we support work?
B)How much benefit is obtained by a given expenditure?
C)Are resources divided fairly?
D)All of the above.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Economic analysis of social welfare policy cannot:

A)Compare the costs associated with alternative policy proposals.
B)Estimate the benefits of alternative policy proposals.
C)Explain the behavior of one individual at a specific point in time.
D)Predict the policy's impact on behavior in the aggregate.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A policy is often a response to more than one problem.

Question 5

Behind every hypothesis is a theory that may be partially or totally incorrect.

Question 6

Most social welfare policies are based on some version of:

A)the rational choice perspective of human behavior.
B)the acquisition of material culture.
C)belief in the democratic process.
D)All of the above.

Question 7

A critical first step in policy analysis is to specify the _____________ of the policy you intend to analyze.

A)goals
B)boundaries
C)cost and benefit calculations
D)All of the above.

Question 8

The opportunity cost of a policy consists of all the outcomes or benefits that must be sacrificed if that particular policy is adopted rather than an alternative policy.

Question 9

Which of the following values is consistent with providing help for the poor?

A)Humanitarian Mores
B)Achievement and Success
C)Individualism
D)Activity and Work

Question 10

Which correctly identifies the sequence of steps in a social/economic analysis?

A)Economics,goals,facts,theories,values,hypotheses,boundaries,and problem.
B)Values,theories,hypotheses,boundaries,problem,facts,goals,and economics.
C)Boundaries,problem,facts,theories,values,goals,hypotheses,and economics.
D)Problem,facts,goals,boundaries,theories,values,hypotheses,and economics.

Question 11

Most social welfare policies are value-free.

Question 12

Rational choice assumes that people:

A)Are purposive and goal oriented.
B)Have hierarchically ordered preferences.
C)Make rational cost/benefit calculations.
D)All of the above.

Question 13

Freedom understood as freedom from excessive and arbitrary external restraint and has resulted in:

A)A tendency to think of rights rather than of duties.
B)A suspicion of established authority.
C)A distrust of government.
D)All of the above.

Question 14

American individualism,in the broadest terms,means:

A)Acceptance of state imposed restrictions.
B)Impatience with restraints upon economic activity.
C)Support for individual rebellion against his/her social group.
D)All of the above.

Question 15

Social welfare policies are hypothetical solutions to perceived social problems.

Question 16

A __________ is the desired state of affairs that is hoped to be achieved by the policy

A)policy goals
B)welfare outcomes
C)social values
D)None of the above

Question 17

Legislation to resolve racism,sexism,and other prejudices is best explained by:

A)A conflict of values.
B)An economic cost/benefit analysis.
C)The Minimax principle.
D)Rational choice theory.

Question 18

_______________ looks at questions of output,income,inflation,and unemployment.

A)social policy analysis
B)opportunity cost
C)microeconomics analysis
D)macroeconomic analysis

Question 19

Which of the following is not a basic task of social/economic analysis:

A)To identify the specific values associated with a proposed social welfare solution.
B)To gain in in-depth understanding of what our society considers a social welfare problem.
C)To understand the probable consequences of dealing or not dealing with a social welfare problem.
D)To understand how a society seeks to deal with a social welfare problem.

Question 20

Stated goals are often call _________ and unstated goals are call __________.

A)latent and manifest
B)official and manifest
C)manifest and latent
D)purposive and reactive

Question 21

Which of the fifteen American values presented in this chapter seems to be the most important or central value around which the others relate? Explain why you think so.

Question 22

The authors assert that social workers can contribute to social welfare policy analysis by providing more nuanced and sophisticated understandings of human behavior.What does this mean to you? Would you expect the social work perspective on human behavior to be more complex than the theories used in most social welfare policy discussions? Why or why not?

Question 23

The authors contend that the social construction of social problems is critical for understanding social welfare policies? Select a social problem and identify aspects that are "socially constructed." How does this social element influence the range of social policy solutions available for the problem?

Question 24

The authors believe that social welfare policies are more likely to be adopted when a social problem appears to be escalating.Does this also mean that resources to address social welfare problems should be curtailed as the problem appears to decline? Why or why not? Can you identify any existing social welfare policies that might be labeled "over- resourced" from this perspective?

Question 25

Why do you think that an economic analysis of a social welfare policy might be useful to a social worker? Who would be most likely to respond to this kind of thinking? How would the impact of an economic analysis differ from a moral argument when trying to persuade decisions makers to support your position?