Chapter 9
Policy Dimensions: International Trends in the Twenty-
First Century
Test Bank
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What period is known as the Golden Age of welfare state expansion?
a. 1960 through the mid-1970s
b. mid-1960s through 1980
c. 1980 through the mid–1990s
d. mid-1990s through 2010
2. What is the current median age of people retiring in the United States and Europe?
a.
60
b.
62
c.
65
d.
67
3. Which country’s welfare state is regarded as the highest international standard for
the provision of social welfare?
a. United States
b. France
c. Poland
d. Scandinavia
4. What term refers to the quasi-contractual agreements that are formulated by mutual
consent between clients and administrative officials?
a. activation plans
b. assistance plans
c. contractual plans
d. development plans
5. Which country privatized 14% of the total public pension contributions in 1998?
a. United States
b. Norway
c. Sweden
d. Denmark
6. Which of the following explains why the Reagan-Thatcher welfare state critique found
a receptive audience?
a. People realized that the welfare state was promising more than it could
deliver.
b. People understood that helping others in need would only enable them to
want more.
c. People saw that the welfare state was causing problems and starting class
warfare.
d. People decided that they wanted everyone to work to make their own living.
7. Which of the following best explains why it will hurt the economy if more people
begin retiring at younger ages?
a. Fewer people will be in the work force.
b. More people will be taking welfare money.
c. Too many children will have to take care of their aging parents.
d. Many people will have to start saving their own money in banks.
8. Which of the following best explains how tighter regulations and distribution of aid
will help reduce government spending?
a. Money will be more difficult to find.
b. Funding will be harder to obtain.
c. Fewer people will receive welfare.
d. More people will begin volunteering.
9. A welfare policy dictates that an unemployed person can only receive aid if he or she
is currently enrolled in a free job training course funded by the government. Which of
the following best describes this scenario?
a. Enabling State
b. personal responsibility
c. incentive program
d. family cap
10. A welfare policy allows a person to receive aid as long as he or she falls below the
poverty line. Which of the following best describes this scenario?
a. Enabling State
b. personal responsibility
c. incentive program
d. family cap
Short Answer Questions
1. Why is globalization threatening the social welfare state?
2. How has the Enabling State changed the course of social welfare?
3. Explain how the European economic crisis has caused the United States to rethink its
social welfare system.
4. Describe a “passive” income support. How is this type of program hurting the U.S.
economy?
5. Compare “passive” income support to “active” measures to stimulate movement into
the paid labor force. What kind of results can the United States expect to see after
implementing more active measures?
6. Form an “activation plan.” How can this plan contribute to the U.S. economy?
Essay Questions
1. Analyze the various parts of the Scandinavian welfare state. Why is it regarded as
the highest international standard for the provision of social welfare? What
challenges will this type of welfare state face in the near future?
2. Recall the five main groups of people who receive welfare. What are the different
kinds of assistance that each needs? What cutbacks does each group face in an
economic recession?
3. Create a “work approach” campaign much like the ones in Europe. How can this
campaign translate into fewer people being dependent on welfare? What groups of
people should be excluded from this campaign, and why?
4. Is a shift toward a decentralized, work-centered welfare system leading the United
States to a free-market capitalistic state? Is this shift the best option for the country?
Provide an argument to support your answer and include specific rebuttals for the
view that opposes yours.