This is a take home assessment designed to assess your understanding of the content we covered the second half of the semester. This includes the materials from your text (chapters #9 to #14), as well as the readings, podcasts, videos, etc. posted on Blackboard or reviewed in class. During the examination you may use your book, articles, handouts, and notes.

Answer TWO of the three long question.

· Answer ALL the short answer questions.

· Remember that you will be graded on your ability to critically think and express coherent and logical arguments for each response.

Part I – long questions

In this section, you need to respond to TWO of the three questions below.

· Follow the detailed instructions and respond to each section of the question so you can receive full credit for each response.

· Critically think about the question and write a thorough and coherent response for each, using complete sentences and paragraph format. Do not respond to any question using an outline or bulleted list.

For each long questions, your response should be 1 to 1.5 pages (double-spaced).

1. In chapter #13, Jansson suggests that the Trump’s administration’s policies need to be examined by asking: Do the policies help vulnerable populations with their material possessions, health, mental health, and other basic needs? Do these policies advance the civil rights of vulnerable populations such as persons of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+ persons, senior citizens, women, and children? And are these policies supported by empirical evidence that shows that they will be effective? In class we discussed that every policy, from any administration, must be examined by asking these questions. Using Jansson’s questions, think about the Biden’s administration response to immigration in relation to the end of Title 42 and respond to the questions below. Read the articles linked below to learn more about what is happening now that Tile 42 has ended, then do the following:

a. Provide a brief overview of Title 42 and how it was used by the Trump administration.

b. Describe what the Biden administration is planning to do now that they have ended the use of Title 42.

c. Explain if the current approach helps vulnerable populations with their material positions, health, mental health, or other basic needs. Provide at least one concrete example to show your point of view.

d. Does the current policy (the Biden’s administration changes after Title 42 ended) advance the civil rights of vulnerable populations – why or why not?

Article #1: Title 42 has ended. Here’s what it did, and how US immigration policy is changing
(https://apnews.com/article/immigration-biden-border-title-42-mexico-asylum- be4e0b15b27adb9bede87b9bbefb798d)

Article #2: US warns against crossing Mexico border illegally as Title 42 ends
( https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-warns-against-crossing-mexico-border-illegally-title-

42-ends-2023-05-15/)

2. When discussing chapter #9, we talked about the impact of The Moral Majority on social policy; we also discussed the connection between The Moral Majority and the Supreme Court. Although The Moral Majority is no longer a formal organization, the issues that concerned them are still in the general discourse and continue to be advanced by the religious right. After reading the article Former evangelical activist says he ‘pushed the boundaries’ in Supreme Court dealings , respond to the following questions:

a. Explain how The Moral Majority sought to influence policy making during the Reagan administration.

b. Explain why the Supreme Court has become so important in the policy making process and address how this importance is linked to the ideology espoused by groups like The Moral Majority. How are they influenced today (refer to the article)?

c. Explain how the current Supreme Court’s decision regarding abortion, has impacted vulnerable populations. Be sure to provide concrete examples when explaining the impact on vulnerable populations.

Here is the link to the article again:

https://www.npr.org/2022/12/08/1141546218/supreme-court-leaks-reverend-robschenk-dobbs-hobby-lobby

3. Chapter #14 addresses many reasons the U.S. is a reluctant welfare state. Jansson divides these reasons into four categories (cultural, economic, institutional & social, and legal & political), and discusses several factors within each one. In this response you will use some of these factors to explain the current push to add work requirements to receive some government assistance in exchange for votes to raise the debt ceiling. Before you respond to this question, read the article Tighter work requirements for welfare programs on table in debt ceiling talks .

In this response, do the following:

a. Explain what conservatives want to do regarding work requirements (feel free to read other articles about this issue but remember to cite all your sources).

b. Select two factors addressed under the four categories noted in the chapter (cultural, economic, institution and social, or legal and political) and use them to discuss how these ideas/views apply to the issue of work requirements. In other words, use the factors you selected to explain why conservatives want to add work requirements to some public assistance programs.

c. Explain why these views make us a reluctant welfare state.

Here is the link again; if the embedded link doesn’t work for you copy and paste this link to your browser or search for the title of the article:

https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/aides-biden-mccarthy-discussing-workrequirements-debt-ceiling-talks-sources-2023-05-16/

Part II – Short questions (10 points each)

About half page

Answer ALL the questions below.

1. Chapter #10 discusses the four statutory purposes of TANF. You learned in class that TANF funds can be used for anything as long as one of these four purposes is “supported.” In this response do the following:

a. Explain one of the statutory purposes of TANF and discuss the values inherent in the way in which this statutory purpose is written. In other words, what assumptions about families are made?

b. Provide one example of how these funds have been used for something other than to directly help needy families and explain how they justify using TANF funds for this purpose. In other words, what statutory purpose do they say their expenditures meet?

2. When discussing chapter #11, we talked about voting and the changes that have taken place starting with the election of 2000 when G.W. Bush won by challenging a Florida recount. In this response do the following:

a. Explain one way in which voting laws have negatively changed since 2000. Be specific, factual, and concrete.

b. Provide an example of how this change has impacted voters, especially those from disadvantaged communities.

3. When discussing chapter #12, we analyzed the healthcare system of several countries. In this response do the following:

a. Select one of these countries (be sure to state which country’s health care system you are addressing) and briefly explain two differences between their health care system and the system in the U.S.

b. In your opinion, which of the two systems, the one you selected or the U.S. system, does a better job advancing social justice in healthcare? Explain why.

4. Name and explain two key differences between Keynesian economics and the free market/trickle-down economics perspective AND provide one example that shows these differences. Be sure to explain how your example shows the differences.

5. When discussing chapters #9 and #12 we talked about deregulation of the markets and its impact on the economy. In this response, explain what deregulation is, what it looked like in one of the administrations we discussed in class (what did the administration do?), and provide an example of how deregulation has impacted the markets today.