Essay Instructions: assignment: Students will develop, in writing, a public policy analysis whereby they: 1) identify, as specifically as possible, the issue; 2) discuss policy alternatives; 3) provide an introduction to the issue; 4) situate the policy issue within a historical context, which includes discussing past policy actions on the issue, as well as giving consideration to how social forces (economy, demographic changes, etc.) have impacted the issue and contributed to the need for policy action; 5) offer an extensive literature review, using both course readings and the student?s own research, to discuss a) who are the stakeholders? b) who are the actors involved and what are their interests in the issue? c) what institutions are involved (state legislature, federal agencies, the courts, religious and social institutions, etc.)? d) what are the facts? Is there agreement in any aspect of the current or proposed policy?; 6) identify policy alternatives by providing some simple projections of the possible outcomes and the trade-offs among the alternatives; 7) identify policy alternatives by establishing criteria for deciding among alternatives; 8) make a recommendations on the policy resolution by providing a specific recommendation for a course of action ? in this section, be sure to provide a summary of your research to justify your recommendation.
Within the literature review of this research project, the student will utilize and rely upon at least five (5) scholarly, peer-reviewed resources that demonstrate a thorough analysis of the topic. This Research Project will reflect your critical thinking through the selection of the case, choice of theories, and presentation of relevant research concerning both the case and theories. This Research Project is to be not less than 3,000 words, and not more than 5,000 words, following American Psychological Association (APA), 6th edition, formatting that includes, but is not limited to: double-line spacing, 12-point font, a title page, a reference page. The title and reference pages will not be included in the page count.
Proposal:
I propose to research Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, specifically focusing on the time limits and regulations set forth by policymakers for women receiving benefits. The purpose of my research is to show the disconnect between the policymakers who set for the regulations and time limits for these women with children. TANF is a grant program that is meant to help recipients become participating members in the work force and allow welfare to be a program of temporary assistance. To ensure the temporary status of recipients in the program, time limits and certain constraints are put in place which gives the participants of the program a limited amount of time to receive aid and a limited time and resources to prepare themselves for the workplace. It is these time limits set by policymakers that cause difficulty for most participants, specifically women, to successfully move into productive working members of society. The time limits are not realistic because the policymakers that create these rules aren?t getting a accurate consensus of the population that will be affected by the time constraints. Policymakers set forth the rules that these impoverished women have to abide by in order to receive assistance without really knowing the challenges these women face trying to live on minimal funds, as well as trying to prepare themselves for the work force in the limited time given by the county in which they are receiving benefits.
In John Rawl?s, A Theory of Justice (1971), he speaks of ?the veil of ignorance? which main position is to ensure impartiality of judgment. Decision makers are deprived of all knowledge of personal characteristics and social and historical circumstances. They do know of certain fundamental interests they all have, plus general facts about psychology, economics, biology, and other social and natural sciences. The purpose of this is that under these circumstances, decisions will be made that guarantees the equal basic rights and liberties needed to secure the fundamental interests of free and equal citizens and fair equality of educational and employment opportunities occur enabling all to fair competition. It also secures for all a guaranteed minimum of the necessities, including income and wealth, which individuals need to pursue their interests and to maintain their self-respect as free and equal persons.
My research will show that the welfare reform that occurred doesn?t always help those it intends to help because of the barrier that exist between those who receive the benefits and those who create the policies and guidelines for those benefits. Policymakers and officials aren?t living below the poverty line for any state, district, or county they are elected to serve. Most officials are highly educated and well equipped with the skill set needed to be deemed employable in today?s market. Majority of recipients of TANF are women who are living in impoverished areas and don?t have the education or needed skills to compete in today?s workplace. They are starting at a disadvantage when they begin the TANF program, so placing time limits on said program doesn?t allow for them to have the time needed to reach the level of employable, as well as compete and find adequate employment. When the current welfare reform was created and put into action, the goals for the program were viewed from the prospective of the officials who were looking to reduce the cost of welfare on the country. The recipients receiving the benefits weren?t consulted, nor were realistic guidelines set with their actual abilities in mind. This practice is also an excellent example of Linda Alcoff?s (1991) theory of speaking for others and not being qualified to do so. A Caucasian male of middle to upper-class wealth living in suburbia cannot know what a poor African-American or Hispanic woman living in a project or subsidized housing with children needs in order to provide an adequate living environment for her family. Welfare reform should consist of community based participation (Am J Public Health. 2010;100:2094-2102. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.170506), so that realistic goals, funds, and expectations can be given and met by those who are actually living within the confines of an underprivileged area and are receiving the benefits offered through welfare
sources:
Kaufman, E., & Nelson, L. (2012). Malthus, gender and the demarcation of ?dangerous? bodies in 1996 US welfare reform. Gender, Place & Culture: A Journal Of Feminist Geography, 19(4), 429-448. doi:10.1080/0966369X.2011.625081
Sheely, A. (2012). Devolution and Welfare Reform: Re-evaluating "Success.". Social Work, 57(4), 321-331
Spitzer, S. (2012). Nixon's New Deal: Welfare Reform for the Silent Majority. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 42(3), 455-481
Toft, J., Hollister, C., & Martin, M. (2013). Welfare Reform Impacts on Hmong Families in Minnesota. Journal Of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity In Social Work, 22(1), 40-59
Wilson, K. (2011). If Not Welfare, Then What?: How Single Mothers Finance College Post-Welfare Reform. Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare, 38(4), 51-76.
