Skip to Main Content

SWU182 - A Social Services Perspective of Government

Government and the role of policy practice in advancing social and economic justice and effective social services within the Southwest.

Federal and State Bureaucracies

Federal and state bureaucracies play a significant role in the administration of social services. Here are some key takeaways from the search results:

  • State governments may use federal social welfare programs, such as the disability program, to respond to fiscal problems or high state commitments to social services 1.
  • Social workers are key employees in federal, state, and local government agencies, and they may work on social services and child welfare issues 2.
  • Social welfare policies are primarily defined by redistributive politics that shift resources from haves to have-nots. Due to significant levels of administrative discretion and the gendered and racialized nature of welfare policies, disparity and disproportionality can occur in both services and sanctions 3.
  • Low-income citizens rely on a range of social services that vary in design and implementation, such as WIC, SNAP, and Medicaid. However, there are still important limits to this social bargain, including resource constraints and difficulties in connecting welfare agencies to other service bureaucracies 5.
  • The federal bureaucracy plays a key role in social services, including education, environmental policy and land use, and executive branch functions 6.

Overall, federal and state bureaucracies are important actors in the provision of social services, and their policies and practices can have significant impacts on the lives of individuals and communities.