Chapter 3
A Framework for Social Welfare Policy Analysis
Test Bank
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which perspective examines the essential components of policy design?
a. process
b. performance
c. sociopolitical
d. analyze
2. What sector accounts for the largest portion of goods and services distributed in the
welfare state?
a. private sector
b. public sector
c. federal government
d. state government
3. What area of social service is slowly becoming a major for-profit industry?
a. water authority
b. nursing homes
c. animal shelters
d. power authority
4. During what decade did the public begin to expect recipients of welfare services to
become accountable and start earning the aid they received?
a. 1970s
b. 1980s
c. 1990s
d. 2000s
5. Which core value of social welfare denotes a conventional sense of fair treatment?
a. equality
b. equity
c. impartiality
d. adequacy
6. Which of the following best describes the appeal of using the analytic perspective?
a. The concept can be applied to a wide variety of policies.
b. It is less difficult to understand as opposed to the process perspective.
c. The concept can provide an unbiased description of each policy.
d. It gives a measurable description of the policies.
7. Out of the four questions that shape a policy’s framework, which question addresses
which recipients should receive social welfare?
a. What are the bases of social allocation?
b. What are the types of social provisions to be allocated?
c. What are the strategies for the delivery of these provisions?
d. What are the ways to finance these provisions?
8. Out of the four questions that shape a policy’s framework, which question addresses
strategies to enhance the flow of services from providers to consumers?
a. What are the bases of social allocation?
b. What are the types of social provisions to be allocated?
c. What are the strategies for the delivery of these provisions?
d. What are the ways to finance these provisions?
9. Which of the following scenarios best demonstrates proportional equality?
a. A company hires a woman in a wheelchair because she was the best fit for
the job.
b. A government provides socialized healthcare and medicine for every citizen in
its country.
c. All pet owners receive a government handout allowing them to get their pet
spayed or neutered.
d. The government gives college financial assistance to students with a 3.0
average or above.
10. Which of the following statements best exemplifies the inadequacy of the national
poverty line?
a. The poverty line was created to ensure that people above the line pay lower
taxes than those below the line.
b. The poverty line provides a general comprehensive statistic of poverty, not a
specific statistic.
c. Living expenses vary in every location, so the poverty line is misrepresented
in most areas.
d. Living expenses vary in every location, so the poverty line is adjusted to be
more accurate.
1. Summarize the distinction between social and economic markets. How do both
contribute to social welfare policy?
2. Recall the four dimensions of choice. How can answering these questions create
problems for policymakers?
3. What is the difference between funding benefits and delivering them? Explain how
most welfare policies fund and deliver benefits by creating a flow chart.
4. What are numerical equality and proportional equality? Illustrate each by creating
policies that exemplify the concepts.
5. Compare and contrast cost effectiveness and social effectiveness. Explain how the
two can be at odds against each other.
6. What difficulties are present when trying to provide welfare to those with the lowest
literacy and motivation levels? Briefly formulate a policy that provides an answer to
these difficulties.
Essay Questions
1. How did Title XX change over the years? What significant alterations were made to
the policy’s framework? How were these changes the result of the country’s evolving
viewpoints on social welfare?
2. List two of the ways that welfare benefits may be delivered. Illustrate each with an
example, and explain the pros and cons of each.
3. Create a welfare policy that satisfies all three of the core values. Exactly how are all
three of the core values satisfied? What difficulties would this policy face if applied in
the real world? Could it work?
4. Explain affirmative action. What are the pros and cons of this welfare policy? Assess
whether the policy satisfies the three core values. Argue whether or not the policy
should stay the same, be nullified, or be changed. If you choose to change the policy,
what changes could be made to make the policy more fair?