Assignment task:
Cultural factors include the way Americans perceived the importance and causes of specific social problems, the extent they believed that those in need were responsible for the problems, and the extent they thought that society has an obligation to assist those in need with ameliorative programs. We discuss how perceptions of various subgroups within the population, such as women and racial groups, shaped social policies.
With respect to cultural factors that often created constraints for policy reformers, we shall ask to what extent Americans developed a multifaceted mythology to justify their failure to develop a relatively generous welfare state, including:
o Believing that many social problems derive from defects of character rather than from environmental conditions
o Believing that charitable acts mostly bring adverse consequences such as encouraging recipients to be lazy, encouraging fraudulent use of social programs, encouraging large numbers of persons to rely on public welfare rather than working, and slowing economic growth by diverting resources from investments in the economy to charity
o Believing that specific problems can be "solved" with use of panaceas, thus impeding deeper analysis of the causes and persistence of many social problems-and the need for innovative and far-reaching solutions Falsely believing that a generous welfare state is not needed because ample opportunities exist for all people who live in America to become relatively affluent Believing that private markets, left to themselves, can solve most social problems-and that social programs and regulations wrongly upset or disrupt private markets
o Viewing government and government institutions as intrinsically flawed so that they can seldom assume constructive, effective roles in averting or addressing social problems Believing that economic and social inequality is not only inevitable, but motivates low-income persons to work harder so they can become substantially more affluent