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Policy 445
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116
Other
Undergraduate 4
02/21/2010

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Term
Absolute Poverty Line
Definition
A fixed level of cash (money) income. In the U.S this is set to cover a minimally adequate diet and assumes that food constitutes one-third of family income needs. The line is adjusted for family size and, annually, for increases in the cost of living.
Term
Adoption Tax Credit
Definition
A one time benefit, a credit against income tax liability for families adopting a child ( and higher) for a child with special needs), to help defray adoption expenses.
Term
Advanced Maintenance Payments (see child support Assurance)
Definition
Guaranteed minimum child support paid by a government agency when a non custodial support paid by a government agency when a non-custodial parent fails to pay financial support for his/her child, pays it irregularly, or at an inadequate level. The agency then attempts to collect from the absent parent the amount advanced. Several European countries (e.g) the Nordic countries, Austria, France, Germany) provide such benefits.
Term
AFDC(Aid to Families with Dependent Children)
Definition
Now replaced by TANF. Formerly, means tested public assistance program that provided financial aid for needy children and their care-takers.
Term
Block Grants
Definition
Federal Funds given to state or local government which must be spent for general purpose specified by grant. Block grants do not require pre-approval for individual projects or programs so long as they are spent in the agreed upon area, such as some aspects of health, education, personal social services, and now public assistance for the poor. ( State governments may also give funds to counties or other local jurisdictions in the form of block grants).
Term
Career Breaks
Definition
These are policies that are often established voluntarily by employers but may be statutory as well, which permit employees with family responsibilities to take time off following childbirth or adoption (or sometimes for other reasons as well). They are unpaid leaves from work, sometimes providing for opportunities for an employee on leave to return briefly to his/her job for training purposes. Sometimes the policy functions as an unpaid parental or child rearing leave.
Term
Categorical Grants
Definition
Financial grants from the federal government given for very specific purposes, targeted on a special population (e.g., abused children; the disabled; the elderly) or special problem (e.g, drug abuse; domestic violence; homelessness
Term
Central Provident Funds
Definition
Public Central Provident Funds exist primarily in developing countries. They are essentially compulsory savings programs in which regular contributions are withheld from employees' wages, matched by their employers, and set aside for each employee in a special fund for later repayment to the worker, usually as a lump sum with accrued interest. The fund can be drawn on for defined contingencies such as old age or health care or might be used to purchase housing
Term
Child Allowance
Definition
(also referred to as Child Benefit or Family Allowance). A cash benefit provided to families based on the presence and number of children in the family. The benefit may vary by the ordinal position of the child, the age of the child, the employment status of the parent. Usually universal (not means or income tested) Usually tax free, and usually not indexed but adjusted based on political decision
Term
Child Benefit (see Child Allowance)
Definition
(also referred to as Child Benefit or Family Allowance). A cash benefit provided to families based on the presence and number of children in the family. The benefit may vary by the ordinal position of the child, the age of the child, the employment status of the parent. Usually universal (not means or income tested) Usually tax free, and usually not indexed but adjusted based on political decision
Term
Child Care Services
Definition
Out of home care of children under compulsory school age, or of primary school age children when school is not open. Includes preschool (kindergarten, pre-kindergarten, nursery school) as well as centers, family day care homes, and before and after school services.
Term
Child-conditioned Income Transfers
Definition
Those income transfers (cash benefits and cash equivalents) provided by government based on the presence of a child in the family. E.G dependent's benefits, child allowances, child tax credits.
Term
Child Development Block Grant
Definition
Originally authorized as an amendment to the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA 1990) and was subsequently re-authorized and amended by PRWORA. The program provided funding for child care services for low-income families and for activities designed to improve the quantity and quality of child care services generally.It is authorized through FY 2002.
Term
Child Rearing Leaves
Definition
Leaves from employment which developed in some countries as a supplement to maternity leaves or as a variation on parental leaves. Longer than maternity leaves, sometimes not limited to parents with a prior work attachment, and paid at a much lower level, the benefit policy is often described as a kind of "mother's wage". In some countries the cash benefit may be equivalent of the government subsidy for out of home income ECEC and used either to supplement family income while one parent is at home or to purchase private care
Term
Children
Definition
Usually defined as the age group from birth to 18 (U.S definition) but sometimes limited to those under 15 (international organizations), and sometimes including all children regardless of age, if living with parents (Italy) and/or if dependent on parents, in a few other countries
Term
Child Poverty Rate
Definition
Percentage of all children living in families with incomes below poverty threshold.
Term
Child Rearing Leave ( see family leaves)
Definition
see Family Leaves
Term
Child Support
Definition
financial support provided by a non-resident , non custodial parent for the support of a child
Term
Child Support Assurance ( sometimes referred to as Advanced Maintenance)
Definition
Guaranteed minimum child support paid by a government agency when a non-custodial parent fails to pay financial support for his or her child, pays it irregularly, or at an inadequate level. The agency then attempts to collect from the absent parent the amount advanced.
Term
Child Tax Credit
Definition
A credit against income tax liability. Currently, in the U.S it is worth $500 and is phased out for those with high incomes. It is not refundable and therefore of no value to those with incomes below the income tax threshold although it may be refundable in other countries.
Term
Child Welfare
Definition
(A) Either social polices aimed at the health, development and well being of all children; or (B) social services for troubled children and their families, including protective services, foster care, adoption, family preservation, residential treatment and home or community based services.
Term
Council of Europe
Definition
The council of Europe is an intergovernmental organization, with 41 member European countries including all the EU countries
Term
Decentralization
Definition
A transfer of locus of decision making authority concerning policies from a higher level of government to a lower level (e.g., from federal to state or from state to federal)
Term
Demand Subsidies
Definition
Providing cash or cash equivalent (food stamps/vouchers) to client so that he/she can purchase goods and services in the marketplace. Assures client/consumer some freedom of choice within a circumscribed area.
Term
Demogrant
Definition
A flat rate cash benefit provided residents or citizens without consideration of income, employment, or means. Usually financed from general revenues. E.G old-age pensions for persons over a certain age; family or child allowances
Term
Dependent Care Tax Credit
Definition
A non-refundable credit against income tax liability for up to 30 percent of employment-related dependent care expenses. The expenses are limited to $2,400 for one dependent of $4,800 for two or more; and the tax credit is limited to between 20 percent (regardless of income) to 30 percent for lower families, thus ranging from $480-$960 to a maximum of $720-$1,1440.
Term
Deregulation
Definition
Removal of governmental controls/restrictions from an industry (e.g., deregulation of airline industry) or social program (absence) of federal child care standards).
Term
Direct Income Transfers
Definition
Policy instrument that provides cash or cash equivalent to recipient
Term
Disability Insurance
Definition
Disability benefit portion of OASDI. Social insurance benefit intended for those who are expected to be unemployed for one year or more due to illness.
Term
Discretionary Funding
Definition
Funding appropriated by Congress each year for specific purposes
Term
Early Childhood Education and Care (Elderly Childhood Care and Education)
Definition
Services or programs targeted on pre-school aged children from infancy to the age of compulsory school entry, designed to provide care, socialization experiences, and cognitive stimulation as well as subsidized parental leaves for infant and toddler care.
Term
Early Head Start
Definition
see Head Start
Term
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
Definition
A refundable tax credit that allows low income working parents to receive a credit against their income tax liability or a cash supplement if their taxable income falls below a certain amount. The most important EITC is a federal benefit but some states have established EITC equivalents themselves. In 1997 the maximum EITC was $2,210 for those with earnings between $6,500 and $11, 930 and was phased down to zero for those with incomes at $25,750.
Term
Earnings Test
Definition
Determination of eligibility for benefit based upon cash earnings. Typically used for Old Age Insurance for those who are at least 62 and less than 65, for whom there is a limit on earnings in order to receive full benefit.
Term
Entitlement Program
Definition
Program that provides money or services to qualified beneficiaries as legal right, based solely upon the specific status of the client. OASDI and food stamps are both entitlement programs with different requirements for eligibility; counseling services are not, the new TANF program is not.
Term
Equity
Definition
Fairness in seeing to fulfillment of needs and acknowledgement of rights in society
Term
European Union
Definition
An economic organization of 15 European countries with unified judicial control, and some limited responsibility for social policies as well, especially those linked to employment.
Term
Family
Definition
The term is often left deliberately vague in policy discussions internationally, to avoid debate. In the U.S, the term "family" is defined according to the Bureau of the Census as: "Two or more people related by blood, adoption, or marriage". In addition, for most social and family policy purposes, one other criterion is added: including a minor child, under age 18.
Term
Family Allowance
Definition
(also referred to as Child Benefit or Child Allowance). A cash benefit provided to families based on the presence and number of children in the family. The benefit may vary by the ordinal position of the child, the age of the child, the employment status of the parent. Usually universal (not means or income tested), usually tax free, and usually not indexed but adjusted based on the political decision.
Term
Family Policy
Definition
Explicit or implicit national social policy (laws, regulation, other government actions) that influences, changes or otherwise impacts children and their families
Term
Family Benefits
Definition
Cash benefits provided by governments to families with children. Includes family (child allowances), cash benefits at the time of maternity, paternity, parental, or child rearing leaves, lump sum cash benefits at time of childbirth or adoption, and other special financial benefits targeted on children and their families
Term
Family-friendly Workplace Policies
Definition
A package of policies provided either voluntarily b employers, as part of collective bargaining agreements, or provided as statutory benefits, that facilitates the reconciliation of work and family life. These policies include: the various types of family and personal leaves; the various forms of early childhood care and education services; the right to work a shorter day, if preferred by the employee, while children are young; flexible working hours; flexible work places; flexible benefit packages; a supportive culture at the workplace that encourages the use of special family benefits and services
Term
Family Leaves
Definition
Job and benefit protected leaves for working parents including maternity, paternity, parental, child-rearing, care for an ill child, time to accompany a child to school for the first time, or to visit a child's school, personal leaves. May be paid or unpaid.
Term
Family Support Act of 1988
Definition
Major welfare reform legislation now superseded by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
Term
Federalism
Definition
Constitutional division of power between the national and state governments
Term
FEMA(Federal Emergency Management Agency)
Definition
Independent arm U,S government that responds to disasters, urban riots and civil defense preparedness
Term
FICA(Federal Insurnce Contributuion Act)
Definition
The payroll tax paid partially by empoyees and partially by employers that funds OASDHI
Term
Fiscal Policy
Definition
Public policies having to do with taxes. This policy may also have redistributional consequences, may be intended to impact on investment
Term
Food Stamps
Definition
1964 federal program mandated nationally in 1974 providing vouchers for the purchase of food only. Means-tested program available to almost all poor individuals and families regardless of marital status or presence or absence of children who meet income and asset, employment and other elgibility criteria. The only U.S broad "guarenteed income" program, broader in coverage that SSI, TANF, GA.
Term
Formula Grant
Definition
Grant in aid which provides funds to states, localities, based on a particular formula
Term
FY(Fiscal Year)
Definition
Funding and budgeting cycle ; e.g. the fiscal year of the U.S ferderal government is October 1 to September 30
Term
General Assistance
Definition
General Assistance menas tested public assistance program provided by local governements for those who are not eligible for any federal or federal state categorical assistance program. Eligibility and amount of assistance vary from state to state and even within states.
Term
GDP(Gross domestic product)
Definition
The total monetary value of final output of the goods and services produced by an economy within the country
Term
GNP(Gross national product)
Definition
the total monetary value of output of goods and services produced by an economy- that is by residents and non residents
Term
Head Start
Definition
Federally funded compensatory education program for disadvantaged pre-schoolers. Designed to compensate for developmental and educational lags caused by social deprivation. Largely part-day and largely for 3 and 4 year old. Early head start is a similar program targeted at the under 3s
Term
IMR(Infant Mortality Rate)
Definition
Annual deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 births. More specifically, this is the probability of dying between birth and one year of age
Term
In-Kind Benefit
Definition
Non-cash benefit in the form of a voucher, commodity or service
Term
Income Strategies
Definition
A policy instrument that provides recipient with cash benefits in order to purchase what she/he need sin the market place. The objective is to provide income as a substitute, supplement, or replacement of earnings
Term
Income Test
Definition
Determination of client elgibility for service based on income but not assets; less constricted than means-teset, which includes both income and asset testing
Term
Income Tested Benefits
Definition
Those benefits provided on the basis of an income test. Income Transfers. Cash or cash quivalent benefits provided by government.
Term
Low Birth Weight
Definition
The percentage of births below 2,500 g., a sensitive measure of mother's health and nutrition during pregnancy and before. The lower an infant's birth weight below 2,500., the greater the infants vulnerability to infections and other problems and the greater the risk of sickness and death
Term
Maternity Leaves
Definition
Job protected leaves from empolyment for employed women at the time they are due to give birth and following childbirth. In some countries the pre-birth leave is compulsory as is 6-10 week leave following birth.
Term
Means Test
Definition
Determination of client eligibility for a benefit or service based upon evaluation of income and assets
Term
Means-Tested Benefits
Definition
Benefits granted to people if their assets and income do not exceed a given threshold. Funding for such benefits falls exclusively on public revenues.
Term
Medicaid
Definition
Means tested program that pays for medical costs of specified groups among the poor. Funded by federal and state government. Enacted in 1965. Elgibility criteria and federal matching funds vary from state to state
Term
Medicare
Definition
National Health Insurance program for those aged 65 and above and the disabled . Enacted in 1965. Administered by DHHS and focus is acute, in-patient care, not long term or chronic care
Term
Negative Income Tax
Definition
A refundable tax credit, providing individuals with incomes below the tax threshold, with cash benefit. See EITC, for an example
Term
Non-sectarian
Definition
Secular or not religous auspices for the delivery of social services
Term
O.F.C.D(Organizational for Economic Co-operation and Development)
Definition

An international organization made up of 29 countries, largely the advanced industrialized countries, with headquarters in Paris, France. The mission of the OECD is to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth, employment, and a rising standard of living in member countries while maintaining financial stability and contributing to sound economic expansion; and to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral basis.

 

 

 

 

Term
OAA(Old Age Assistance)
Definition
Cash Assistance for the poor elderly enacted in original Social Security Act (1935) and replaced by SSI which was in 1972 and implemented in 1974
Term
OASI(Old Age and Survivor's Insurance)
Definition
Federal social insurance programs, under the Social Security Act of 1935. Provides cash benefit to aged and retired as well as their surviving dependents, regardless of income. Contributory benefit, work and earnings related, available beginning at age 62
Term
Parental leaves
Definition
Gender-neutral, job-protected leaves from employment which usually follow maternity leaves and permit either men or women to take advantage of the policy and h the leave or choose which of them will use it. If there is no specified maternity leave, a portion of these leaves is usually reserved for women, to ensure a period of physical convalescence and recovery after childbirth. In some countries some portion of the parental leave is reserved for fathers, on a "use it or lose it" basis, to create an incentive for fathers to play a more active role.
Term
Paternity Leaves
Definition
Job-protected leaves from employment for fathers, for many of the same purposes as maternity and parental leaves, but especially for reasons of gender equity. They are usually much briefer than maternity leaves, function a supplements to such leaves, and are especially important when a second child is born and the first child requires care while mother and newborn may need help.
Term
Pay As You Go or Pay As You Earn (PAYE)
Definition
Funding Old Age Insurance benefits by means of current contributions rather than full funding in advance
Term
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
Definition
The new welfare law: replaces AFDC with TANF, sets time limits for receipt, mandates work, ends entitlement to assistance and provides block grant funding giving states great flexibility in designing TANF program. It also protects the entitlement status of food stamps and Medicaid, but makes some changes. Includes 9 Titles or provisions: TANF is Title I. Other provisions include the expansion of child support enforcement, redefining disability for children under SSI, eliminating federally funded benefit receipt by immigrants who entered the country after 8/22/96, expanding child care funding, restricting Food Stamp eligibility, and curtailing child nutrition programs, but sustaining child welfare
Term
Personal Social Services
Definition
Services such as counseling, foster care, senior centers, job placement, or training services designed to provide individualized help as well as linking clients to entitlement programs. May be either publicly or privately delivered
Term
Public Law
Definition
Indicates the Congressional session that a law was passed and the number of the law in that session. It is often how legislation is referred to.
Term
Poverty
Definition
Inadequate income. a) absolute poverty- deprivation, funds inadequate for basic food, clothing, shelter, health needs; b) relative poverty-income below some portion of median income c) subjective poverty- feeling of deprivation based on societal norms; e.g being without a phone today would be deprivation, 50 years ago it was not so d)poverty line- income level set by federal government based on the cost of a market basket of items, indexed annually to consumer price index; e) official poverty is defined in U.S as pre- tax and post transfer- money income before taxes, after receipt of transfers
Term
Pre-School
Definition
Child-care services to children below the age of formal public education, that includes educational and developmental content
Term
Privatization
Definition
Increased use of private sector in providing social benefits and services such as greater reliance on occupational welfare or proprietary child care services or nursing homes. May involve reduced role of government and increased role of market in funding, delivery, and/or regulation
Term
Public Assistance
Definition
Cash benefit provided to the poor on the basis of a means-test. Financed out of general tax revenues. Public assistance programs in the U.S include TANF and SSI. Eligibility requirements and dollar amounts vary among states, and within some states
Term
Purchasing Power Parties
Definition
A conversion rate that uses the prices of a selection of comparable products in different countries and thus takes account of the real purchasing power of a currency across countries.
Term
Redistribution
Definition
Transfer of monies, benefits and services form one group in the society to another so its members receive a balance different from that created through the marketplace
Term
Relative Poverty Line
Definition
Defining poverty as some portions of a normative standard in a country, usually a proportion of median income. Relative poverty lines are usually expressed as being between 40 or 50 percent of median income. In the U.S the absolute poverty line was about 44% of median income when first established in 1963, but is now about 40%.
Term
Safety Net
Definition
Income security programs that provide aid when primary and secondary sources of support are absent or inadequate
Term
Sectarian
Definition
Auspices of and funding from a specific religious group. May or may not serve primarily members of that religious group
Term
Selectivity
Definition
Eligibility criteria for recipient of social benefits or services that target a particular group and usually include means-testing
Term
Service Strategy
Definition
A policy instrument that provides the client with goods and services rather than with the cash needed to obtain them. Examples are surplus food, child care services, counseling, and etc.
Term
Social Assistance
Definition
An alternative term used internationally to describe public assistance
Term
Social Exclusion
Definition
A multi-dimensional concept, involving economic, social, political, cultural, and special aspects of disadvantage and deprivation, often described as the process by which individuals and groups are wholly or partly excluded from participation in their society, as a consequence of low income and constricted access to employment, social benefits and services, and to various aspects of cultural and community life. A key component is the framing of the issue as social and community exclusion, rather than individual and personal responsibility.
Term
Social Expenditure
Definition
(referred to as "social welfare expenditure" and "social protection expenditures")-expenditures of the government and the private sector on health, income transfers, education, housing, employment, personal social services,. The size, composition. share borne by government, number of beneficiaries, provide a picture of a country's social policy.
Term
Social Indicators
Definition
Quantitative measures that have been shown to be valid and reliable and provide a picture of social conditions over time.
Term
Social Insurance
Definition
Government cash benefits programs that protect against loss of income due to certain "social risks" such as old age, death of a breadwinner, unemployment, disability. The main component of "social security are old age and retirement pensions, health insurance, unemployment, insurance, disability insurance, sickness benefits. Benefits depend on previous employment history and are independent of a claimant's personal or family income.
Term
Social Minimum
Definition
Level of personal or household income which is regarded necessary for a person or family to exist in a given society without major deprivation.
Term
Social Policy
Definition
Laws, actions, regulations, and other interventions of government designed to ensure that all citizens have at least a minimum standard of living regardless of their ability to participate in the market. There are 5 or 6 generally accepted.
Term
Social Protection
Definition
Social protection is a term used in Europe, especially in the EU, and is defined as: "all interventions from public or private bodies intended to relieve households and individuals of the burden of a defines set of risks or needs, provided that there is neither a simultaneous reciprocal nor an individual arrangement involved. The list or risks or needs that may give rise to social protection is fixed by convention as follows: 1) sickness/health care 2) Disability 3) old age 4) survivors 5) family/children 6) unemployment 7) housing 8) social exclusion
Term
Social Sector
Definition
The part of government activities that address the needs of its clients though social policy or social protection
Term
Social Security(Internationally)
Definition
The institutions and measures of social insurance and social assistance aimed at providing income ad social security to the population. There are five pillars of social security, i.e 1) pensions and survivor benefits 2) health care, sickness and disability transfers 3) family and child benefits 4) unemployment benefits 5) social assistance. The term is also used as a parallel to "Social protection"
Term
Social Security(U.S)
Definition
Old Age and Survivors Insurance. Pensions, life insurance, and disability cash benefits
Term
SSI(Supplemental Security Income)
Definition
Federal public assistance program providing means-tested cash benefits for the aged and disabled on the basis of nationally uniform eligibility criteria. Enacted in 1972 and first implemented in 1974. Administered by the Social Security Administration. May be supplemented.
Term
State Child Health Insurance Program(SCHIP)
Definition
Title XI of the Social Security Act, enacted in 1997, expanding health Insurance coverage for children in low-income families and expanding the federal share of the costs of this federal and state program
Term
Subsistence Minimum
Definition
Minimum income needed to provide a bare subsistence in a given society. It is usually associated with the absolute poverty line and involves major deprivations.
Term
Supply Subsidy
Definition
Direct funding to provider so that services are available to the client in the community (e.g. public health, housing, and child care)
Term
Targeting
Definition
Directing an intervention or policy instrument at a group that appears particularly vulnerable to a specific social problem, or to a particular problem. Often equated with selectivity and a focus on the poor
Term
Tax benefits
Definition
Policy instruments that may act as income transfers for individuals or families. Two major categories a) tax allowances- pre- tax deductions b) tax credits- deductions taken against tax liability. These tax credits may be refundable or non refundable.
Term
Tax Policy
Definition
Using tax system to effect policy outcomes (use of tax benefits/credits as a social policy instrument)
Term
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families(TANF)
Definition
The means tested cash assistance program, that replaced AFDC as of 7/1/97. Benefit levels vary by state, beneficiaries are required to go to work within two years of claiming the benefit, receipt of cash assistance is limited to a lifetime maximum of 5 years overall. The benefits are funded through block grants to states giving states great flexibility in program design
Term
Third Party Payment
Definition
Direct financial compensation to service provider or agency to reimburse for services rendered to the client/consumer (e.g, Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance coverage of medical/mental health services)
Term
Title XX(of the Social Security Act)
Definition
First enacted in 1975 and subsequently amended. The only non-categorical federal funds for personal social services. (Covers programs such as day care for low income mothers, child abuse prevention and treatment services and some services to home bound elderly)
Term
Title XXI (of the Social Security Act)
Definition
State Child Health Insurance Program enacted in 1997, expanding health insurance coverage for children in low-income families and expanding the federal share of the costs of this federal/state program
Term
Trust Funds
Definition
Percentage of payroll taxes held in "trust" accounts to meet projected actuarial analysis of what OASDI, DI, and HI needs will be. Usually equal to what is needed to pay out OASI benefits for one year
Term
Unemployment Insurance
Definition
Social insurance benefit that protects workers against loss of income due to involuntary and temporary job loss, financed through a payroll tax paid by employers. Established as part of the Social Security Act of 1935. Administered at the state level. Benefits vary across states.
Term
Universal Benefits or Services
Definition
Eligibility based on criteria other than income. (Medicare and OASI are prime examples of universal programs). Although available regardless of income, they may be contingent on employment record. They may be in cash, such as family allowances, or in kind, as with the provision of eduction.
Term
Vouchers
Definition
A form of demand subsidy which functions as a cash equivalent for the purchase of specified goods/services. They provide more freedom of choice than a specific service but less than a cash benefit.
Term
WIC(Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children)
Definition
Vouchers issued by U.S Department of Agriculture to provide for the nutritional needs 9of low income women, infants and young children.
Term
Youth
Definition
A non-consistently defined age group internationally and in the U.S. Sometimes describing adolescents aged 13-19 and sometimes older young people from age 15-24
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