Deck 6: Social Policy Development and Policy Practice

Question 1

To get an issue on the policy agenda, social work advocates must:

A) attract enough attention to convince a policymaker to move on the item
B) call the committee secretary to request it
C) get an article on the front page of a major newspaper
D) hold a large rally

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Those people who likely will experience either substantial gain or loss as a result of the policy change are called:

A) clients
B) stakeholders
C) lobbyists
D) allies

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Who should be considered stakeholders in the debate about policy to provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children?

A) immigrant youth and their parents
B) teachers
C) employers who need to hire a diverse workforce
D) all the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

An example of an unintended consequence of a social policy is:

A) Medicare has been modified to include more services than originally conceived
B) life expectancy has increased dramatically compared to the 1930s, when Social Security was passed
C) the construction of new federal highways in low-income areas isolated public housing high rises, leading to higher unemployment for residents of these properties
D) not all people who are eligible for Medicaid apply for it, because of barriers

Question 5

Which of the following is a potential unintended consequence of free college policies?

A) reduction in student debt
B) Americans feel more optimistic about their children's chances to get ahead
C) more students earn postsecondary degrees
D) families who don't have to pay for their children's college transfer more wealth directly the next generation

Question 6

The ecological perspective in social work:

A) focuses on the ways in which people and their environments influence, change, and shape each other
B) emphasizes social work's responsibility to protect the environment
C) is a theory that applies only to clinical social work practice
D) is incompatible with the strengths perspective

Question 7

A high-poverty neighborhood with little access to employment opportunities, poor quality public schools, and few social service resources is an example of:

A) an enabling niche
B) a transporting niche
C) an ecological perspective
D) an entrapping niche

Question 8

From a strengths perspective, which of the following would be appropriate roles for social work clients in a policy change process?

A) sharing their stories of resilience and capacity, but only anonymously, so that they are not stigmatized
B) participating in research, but only as research subjects
C) writing a letter to an elected official, as long as a staff member edits it
D) taking leadership, with the social worker serving as a resource

Question 9

When a social worker identifies a policy problem, their first step should be to:

A) lobby for a new law to address it
B) assess whether the problem stems from policy implementation, or whether there is a need for a new policy
C) file a lawsuit to challenge the injustice
D) contact a reporter to publicize the problem

Question 10

A thorough cost-benefit analysis must include:

A) the costs of implementing the legislation, including intangibles
B) the expected outcomes of the policy
C) the costs of not enacting the policy
D) all the above

Question 11

Describe how, as a strengths-based policy practitioner, you might assess community strengths.

Question 12

You are a social worker advocating for increased funding for childcare in reauthorization of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. This proposal is expensive. How would you apply what you know about the elements of a "workable" policy to increase the likelihood of its passage?

Question 13

You are a social worker providing case management to adults with disabilities. You support a policy to allow them to retain eligibility for Medicaid even after their incomes have increased, as they are transitioning back to paid employment, since they often need coverage for personal care attendants. As a case manager, how would you go about putting this issue on the agenda?

Question 14

What are baseline data? If you were advocating for funding for a suicide prevention program for adolescents of color, what baseline data might you collect at the beginning?

Question 15

Before approaching a particular policymaker to support your policy initiative, what kind of research would you want to conduct on them?

Question 16

Identify a social problem that is not on the policy agenda in your community or state, but which you think is an important issue. What are 2-3 approaches you could use to try to elevate this social problem on the agenda?