Question

1. Compare and contrast the ideologies of liberals, radicals, libertarians and conservatives. What philosophy do you think might work best and why? 2. Look at the mission of the social work profession which is rooted in a set of core values of:  Service; social justice; dignity and worth of the person; importance of human relationships; integrity of the person.  These core values, have been embraced by social workers throughout the profession's history, and they are the foundation of social work's unique purpose and perspective. In what ways does your political analysis agree and/or disagree with these social work values in forming social welfare policy?  3. What changes would you recommend in the immediate future regarding social welfare policy (you can include medical insurance, welfare (TANF), food stamps, SSI, Social Security, Earned income tax credits, WIC, Children’s Health insurance (chip).

Answer 1

1) Liberalism is an ideology that is founded on liberty and equality. Radicalism is based on the use of drastic revolutionary means to bring about reforms in the social structure Libertarianism focuses on maximal social and political freedom and has an inherent aversion to the rules laid down by the government. Conservatism, on the other hand, promotes the perpetuation of orthodox, traditional cultures and belief systems. The philosophy of liberalism might work the best as it is a more balanced way of approaching the shortcomings and fundamental flaws in the society.

2) Social work profession can be considered a vital driving force behind the formulation of social welfare policy. As this profession demands real-world and pragmatic approached to executing social work, implementations based on them can be useful in forming the social welfare policy.

3) Some changes that can be made in the social welfare policy include increased coverage in medical insurance, wider distribution of food stamps and greater earned income tax credits.