Social Welfare Policy



Social Welfare Policy

Introduction

Social Policy concerns with the study of welfare state and the social services. It was developed during the start of the twentieth century. The purpose was to complement it with the studies pertaining to social work. It focuses on those people who are involved professionally in the welfare administration, (Bachrach, 1970). The major areas of focus are administration and policy practice including education, health administration, community care, employment services and housing management, (Duncan, 2000). Apart from all these, It also focuses on the issues related to the society such as; old age, crimes, poverty, race and gender for that matter. In this paper, we will be discussing poverty, one of the many types of social welfare policies. In our attempt, we will be throwing light on the social issues addressed by this policy; the objectives of the policy; effects and implications of this social policy and alternative social welfare policies that need to be worked on with, in order to reduce poverty in the United States of America.

The social problem addressed by the policy

The social issue that is being brought into focus by this policy is that of poverty. Poverty is a state in which an individual lacks possession of money or other materials. Absolute poverty, on the other hand is that level of poverty in which an individual is deprived of the very basic necessities of life, such as; health care, education, shelter and food, for that matter, (DeNavas, 2009). Due to the lack of traditional ways of production, poverty, for many decades was unavoidable, largely.

Reduction of poverty is one of the many major concerns of the international organizations, including the World Bank and the United Nations. According to a very recent estimate, there are about 1.3 billion people living in an absolute poverty condition. Of all these, most are the residents of India and China. Extreme poverty is a challenge at an international level. Poverty is also a challenge for those economies which are developed.

According to the USA's Bureau, about 16% of the total US population lives in poverty. In the year of 2011, child poverty set a record high level. There were 16 million children who were living in those households which were food insecure. Back in 2009, the population of people living in poverty was nearing the levels that of the 1960s, which caused a war against poverty, at a national level. A look into the history of poverty points out that recession was responsible for putting the population in such an unrest position, (Foster, 1984).

The policy objectives, value premises, expectation, and target populations

The major objective of this social welfare policy is to reduce poverty levels. Other major objectives are to evaluate and properly monitor the policies pertaining to the reduction of poverty, for ensuring its incorporation for the macroeconomic frame work, (Karger, 1998). It aims at enhancing the economic capacity at a national level and giving poor the power for making their lives ...