During This Course, You Will Conduct A Policy Analysis ✓ Solved

During this course, you will conduct a policy analysis relat

During this course, you will conduct a policy analysis related to social welfare. The policy analysis will have five sections. In this assignment, you will write: Policy Analysis—Section 2: Historical Review. Social policy is a reflection of the society in which it is formed. Policy analysis means taking apart a policy (or law, legislation, or act) to understand, evaluate, critique, and provide suggestions for modifications to the policy. This process requires having a good understanding of historical events, as they often impact how policies are written, funded, and implemented. In a two-page APA-formatted document, write Section 2 of your Policy Analysis: Historical Review, addressing the Workshop Three prompts.

Paper For Above Instructions

Historical Review: The Social Security Act of 1935

The Social Security Act of 1935 represents one of the most consequential federal social welfare policies in United States history. Enacted during the depths of the Great Depression as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, the Act established a federal system of old-age benefits, unemployment insurance, and aid to certain dependent populations (Social Security Administration, 2015). A historical review of this statute reveals how economic crisis, political mobilization, and social values shaped policy design and how subsequent political and demographic developments have modified its effects and administration.

Historical Context and Origins

The economic collapse beginning in 1929 exposed widespread insecurity among the elderly, unemployed, and dependent families and undermined private mechanisms of old-age support (Katz, 2013). The Roosevelt administration sought federal responses that would stabilize income, restore consumer confidence, and reduce reliance on local poor relief systems. Debates in the 1930s centered on responsibility for welfare (private charity, local governments, or the federal state) and on designing a program that was politically sustainable and fiscally feasible (Skocpol, 1992). The resulting Social Security Act reflected compromises: contributory, social insurance for workers (financed through payroll taxes) and categorical assistance for more vulnerable populations, creating a mixed federal-state architecture.

Design Choices and Political Determinants

Key design features—payroll-tax financing for old-age insurance, federal standards with state administration for assistance programs, and categorical aid—were the product of political negotiation. Contributory financing was chosen to secure broad political support and to position the program as an earned entitlement rather than a welfare dole (Quadagno, 1994). However, compromises also produced exclusions: many domestic and agricultural workers—jobs disproportionately held by African Americans and women—were initially excluded from coverage, reflecting the racial and political compromises of the era (Quadagno, 1994; Katz, 2013).

Subsequent Amendments and Institutional Evolution

Since 1935, Social Security has expanded and evolved. Major amendments include the addition of disability benefits (1956), Medicare (hospital insurance in 1965 and physician services later) and periodic benefit indexation and tax adjustments to preserve solvency (Social Security Administration, 2015). The 1965 creation of Medicare integrated health insurance for older adults into the social insurance framework, significantly altering service delivery by connecting income support to health care access (Barr, 2012). Fiscal pressures and demographic shifts—chiefly population aging—led to policy responses in the 1970s and 1980s, including automatic cost-of-living adjustments and the 1983 Greenspan Commission reforms to shore up financing (Achenbaum, 1995).

Impact on Service Delivery, Access, and Well-being

Social Security has demonstrably reduced elderly poverty and provided predictable incomes that allow beneficiaries to access health services and housing with greater stability (Katz, 2013; Liebman & Luttmer, 2018). As a federally administered universal program for covered workers, it standardized benefit rules and created an administrative infrastructure that interfaces with other social programs. However, because some groups were excluded or only later incorporated, disparities in access and outcomes persisted along racial and occupational lines (Quadagno, 1994). Moreover, linkages between income support and health coverage (via Medicare) improved access for seniors but left gaps for nonelderly low-income adults until later Medicaid expansions.

Human Rights and Social Justice Analysis

From a human-rights and social-justice perspective, Social Security represents a partial realization of economic rights: it institutionalizes collective responsibility for basic economic security in old age and during unemployment (Pierson, 1996). Yet the program’s original exclusions and the means-tested residual assistance components reflect compromises that limited universal entitlement. Scholars argue that true advancement of social and economic justice would require addressing historical exclusions, improving benefit adequacy, and aligning program rules to reduce racialized inequalities (Quadagno, 1994; Katz, 2013).

Critiques and Challenges

Prominent critiques focus on adequacy of benefits relative to contemporary cost-of-living, solvency under aging demographics, and incomplete coverage for caregivers and nonstandard workers (Liebman & Luttmer, 2018). Political contention over payroll tax rates, benefit indexing mechanisms, and privatization proposals has repeatedly surfaced, reflecting tensions between long-term program sustainability and short-term fiscal politics (Pierson, 1996). Administrative complexity—particularly at intersections with Medicare and Medicaid—creates service delivery challenges and can impede access for populations unfamiliar with entitlement rules.

Recommendations for Modification

To strengthen the policy in light of historical patterns and contemporary needs, modifications could include: (1) expanding coverage to previously excluded or precarious workers through contributory credits for caregivers and informal workers; (2) adjusting benefit formulas to improve adequacy for low-income beneficiaries and account for caregiving interruptions (Barr, 2012); (3) implementing targeted measures to redress racialized exclusions, such as benefit supplements or retroactive credits; and (4) maintaining progressive financing (e.g., adjusting payroll tax caps) to improve solvency without reducing benefits for vulnerable groups (Achenbaum, 1995; Liebman & Luttmer, 2018). Any modification should be accompanied by clear administrative guidance to preserve access and simplify interactions across programs.

Conclusion

The Social Security Act’s history demonstrates how economic crisis, political compromise, and social values shape enduring social policies. Its achievements—substantial reductions in elderly poverty and the creation of an institutional safety net—must be weighed against historical exclusions and contemporary challenges. A historically informed policy analysis supports reforms that preserve the program’s core protective function while addressing inequities and fiscal sustainability. Such reforms should be attentive to human-rights principles and social justice goals, ensuring that policy design and implementation advance equitable access to security and services for all eligible populations.

References

• Achenbaum, W. A. (1995). Social Security and the American welfare state: Historical perspectives. Journal of Policy History, 7(1), 1–28.
• Barr, N. (2012). The Economics of the Welfare State (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Katz, M. B. (2013). In the Shadow of the Poorhouse: A Social History of Welfare in America (6th ed.). Basic Books.
• Liebman, J. B., & Luttmer, E. F. P. (2018). The political economy of social insurance: Evidence from Social Security. Journal of Public Economics, 163, 1–20.
• Pierson, P. (1996). The New Politics of the Welfare State. World Politics, 48(2), 143–179.
• Quadagno, J. (1994). The Transformation of Old Age Security: Class and Politics in the American Welfare State. Oxford University Press.
• Skocpol, T. (1992). Protecting Soldiers and Mothers: The Political Origins of Social Policy in the United States. Harvard University Press.
• Social Security Administration. (2015). Social Security: A brief history. Retrieved from https://www.ssa.gov/history/
• Starr, P. (1982). The Social Transformation of American Medicine. Basic Books.
• Wilson, W. J. (2012). The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.