POSC 459 — Social Welfare Politics and Policy · Week 7, Monday 5 October 2026
Accessible text version of the Week 7 Monday slides — same content in linear order, with no slide-scaling container. Reading: Howard, Who Cares (2023), chs. 5–7.
POSC 459 — Social Welfare Politics and Policy Week 7 · Monday, October 5
Howard, Who Cares, chs. 5–7
| Wed 10/7 | Medicaid and the states. Grogan and Andrews; Howard (2007) ch. 8 |
| Fri 10/9 | Source and claims memo due 11:59 p.m. |
| Mon 10/12 | Midterm review |
| Wed 10/14 | Midterm, in class. Bring a blue book |
| Household | Income | Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Single parent, kids 4 and 9 | $27,300 | $1,800 |
| B | Married couple, child 6 | $40,000 | $2,200 |
| C | CSUF student, 21, no kids | $10,296 | $900 |
What did yours get?
| EITC (tax year 2025) | CalFresh | |
|---|---|---|
| A | $6,315 | May qualify. About $557 a month |
| B | $2,801 | May qualify. About $304 a month |
| C | $0 | May qualify. Up to $306 a month |
Dollar estimates for CalFresh are mine. The screener only says “may qualify.”
Households A and B: 17 of you ran the EITC Assistant.
| Screener result | Households |
|---|---|
| The right credit: $6,315 or $2,801 | 3 |
| “Income is over the limit”: $0 | 11 |
| A small credit: $910 or $1,131 | 3 |
14 of 17 eligible households left with the wrong answer.
| Screener | Deciding questions | Never asked |
|---|---|---|
| IRS | Children? Age 25 to 64? Earned income? | Rent. Need |
| Robin | Household size? Monthly income? | Work. School |
Who qualifies?
Who pays?
Who delivers?
Is it enough?
Howard 2023, drawing on Joan Tronto’s phases of care
Howard 2023, ch. 5
| Who | Reach | Benefit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| TANF | Very poor families with children | 3 million people | Under half the poverty line |
| EITC | Low-wage workers, mostly parents | 27.5 million tax filers | About $3,200, family of four |
| SSI | Aged, blind, disabled poor | 9 million | About $550 a month |
Howard 2023, ch. 5. Figures for 2017–2019
Income ceiling for a family of three, per month (2018):
| Alabama | Michigan | Typical state | Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|---|
| $268 | $815 | $840 | $1,277 |
Poor families on cash welfare: 68% in 1996 → 22% in 2018
Howard 2023, ch. 5
| Lifted out of poverty | |
|---|---|
| Social Security | 18 million older Americans |
| TANF | Fewer than 250,000 children |
Child poverty 16.2% · elderly poverty 9.7% (official, 2018)
Howard 2023, ch. 5
| Program type | Paid by |
|---|---|
| Means-tested (TANF, EITC, SSI) | Income taxes. Mostly the affluent |
| Social insurance | Payroll taxes. Every worker |
“The rich take care of the poor, whether they intend to or not.”
Cash follows work.
Not working, no children, no work history: very little
SNAP (2019): 36 million people a month · about $1.40 a meal
| Who gets SNAP | |
|---|---|
| Children | 44% |
| Seniors | 14% |
| Disabled adults | 10% |
| Able-bodied adults, no dependents | 7% |
Howard 2023, ch. 6
Howard 2023, ch. 6
14.3 million households food insecure (2018): one in nine
Howard 2023, ch. 6, table 6.1
| Renter households under $15,000 | |
|---|---|
| Spend over half their income on housing | 70% |
For every 100 extremely low-income households:
38 affordable, available units · California: 23
Howard 2023, ch. 7
| Program | Size |
|---|---|
| Public housing | 1 million units · $7 billion |
| Vouchers (Section 8) | 2 million vouchers · $20–25 billion |
| Tax credit for developers (LIHTC) | About 100,000 units a year · $10 billion |
About 5 million households helped. Most who qualify get nothing.
Howard 2023, ch. 7
| Homeowner tax breaks | |
|---|---|
| Mortgage interest and property tax deductions | $100 billion a year before 2017 |
| Share to filers under $40,000 (2019) | Under 1% |
Net worth at 65+, lowest income quartile:
Owner $105,000 · Renter $1,000
Howard 2023, ch. 7
Howard 2023, ch. 7, table 7.1
| Income | Food | Housing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Workers | Anyone in need | In need, if there’s money |
| Who pays | Workers; the affluent | The affluent | The affluent |
| Who delivers | Agencies, the IRS | Grocers, charities, schools | Landlords, developers |
| Enough? | 38 million poor | 14.3 million households insecure | 70% of the poorest renters pay over half |
Howard 2023, chs. 5–7
One page, two columns
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| What I can support | What I am still assuming |
| Claim + the source you read | Claim you believe but have not checked |
Attach proof of one conversation. Any of these counts:
AI: Yellow. A source an AI found goes in Column B until you read it.
Column A: one claim about your program from today, with Howard as the source
Column B: one thing you believe about your program and have not checked
3 minutes, with a neighbor
Cash follows work. Food follows need. Housing follows the budget.
Wednesday: Medicaid, and what happens when the states decide