Having read the chapter, you should be able to do each of the following:

1. Discuss the issue of poverty in the United States, and its concentration within certain social groups.
2. Examine social welfare as a partisan issue, discussing the vastly different approaches and programs advocated by each major party.
3. Define "entitlement." Differentiate between social insurance and public assistance programs.
4. Explain how the American belief in "equality of opportunity" affects social welfare policy.
5. Discuss the attitude of the American public toward social welfare within a cultural context.
6. Discuss the welfare reforms made in 1996.