Question

What is the social safety net as it relates to as it relates to public policy?

Answer 1

The United States Social Safety Net Program is comprised of numerous welfare services that shield low-income People from poverty and deprivation. The services are supposed to be a safety net for catching Americans as they come down on rough times. The goal is to get sound body and mind Americans back on their feet. For those people with no sound body and mind the goal is to protect them with a minimum living standard. Such Social Safety Net services are non-contributory benefit transfer systems. In other words, low-income Americans are getting the services free of charge-they don't have to pay to the programs to receive benefits.

In a wider context , the term Social Safety Net System is often used to describe any program that provides benefits to individuals or families. The specific description encompasses Social Security, Medicare and Unemployment. The Social Security Net consists of both contributory and non-contributory services in this sense. For years, People had to pay into the system to obtain Social Security and Medicare. This is still partly valid for unemployment but the plan is also largely non-contributory with the expansion of compensation in recent years.

Public service providers tend to be highly centralized and politically influential, while consumers, though various, tend to be fragmented and poorly coordinated. It is no wonder that most governments, already facing the political challenges of the macroeconomic reform, delay or resist more difficult reforms of public institutions , particularly when the introduction of noticeable safety net policies may resolve public concern about social welfare issues, at least in the short term.