The document discusses various government responses to social and economic issues in the United States such as employment, poverty, education, healthcare, housing, and crime. It outlines programs like TANF, food stamps, grants for education, and acts like No Child Left Behind that aim to help low-income families and improve opportunities for minorities. While progress has been made in reducing poverty, increasing education levels and homeownership among minorities, inequalities still persist in the US due to economic reasons like lack of funding for social services, social reasons like lack of role models, and political challenges in enacting change.

1. GOVERNMENT RESPONSES TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES
Employment/Unemployment
Changes in attitude - America is a less

Poverty
TANF – temporary assistance for needed

racist place than it was 50 years ago and
give this as assistance for people who do not
Better education has led to improved job

families – this is a US welfare payment, states
many minorities are in good jobs
work
prospects and greater earning potential.
GRANTS – the federal government gives money

to states to help low income families
Progress:

A Black middle class exists in the USA

Food Stamps – like UK school lunch cards these

4.9% of black now work in management
positions compared to only 4.4% of
enable those on low incomes to purchase food
Progress:
Hispanics (2008)
There has been a reduction in black poverty
from 31.9% in 1990 to 24.5% in 2007

Health
Education
There has been progress in healthcare – however
The college opportunity and affordability act

2008 doubled the grants available to students and
we will look at the healthcare later in the unit
increased funding for colleges serving low income
and minority students.
Progress

Although blacks have a live expectancy
of 5 years less than whites it has shown
signs of progress in recent years up
from 69.1 years to71.2yrs
The No Child Left Behind act 2001 (Bush) set

strict targets for schools, moving students from
poorly performing schools to 'good' schools.
Race for the Top (Obama) 2009 provided $4 billion

in grants to help low performing schools with high
drop-out rates
Progress
The number of Blacks and Hispanics graduating
from both High School and college have increased
in recent years
In 2008 – 80% of Blacks graduated from high
school, 60% of Hispanics graduated.


Housing

Discrimination against minorities securing
mortgages, such as redlining, has been
outlawed!
Crime and the Law
Progress:




Although minorities are more likely than
whites to live in inner city areas, Home
ownership for both Blacks and Asians have
increased between 2000 and 2007
Black homeownership increase to 47.3% in
2007
Asian homeownership increased from 46% in
2000 to 54% in 2007!
An increase in a black middle class has led to
the creation of a ‘black flight’ with many
wealth blacks moving to suburbs
Gang Intervention Act – made joining a
gang a federal offence = harsher
punishment
Progress:


Even though blacks remain the group most
likely to go to prison, the numbers of
Blacks in prison has fallen from 46% in
1995 to 38% in 2008

2. Despite the action by the Government, Inequalities in the USA continue. Progress IS being made and minorities are
now not as unequal as before, however equality is still not a social and economic reality in the USA.
Economic reasons for continued inequality
1 – The white flight: this has a negative impact
on inner cities as many whites who have jobs
and pay taxes have moved away, leaving less
money for the inner cities where minorities are
more likely to live.
2 – The black flight: the growth of a Black
middle class has also caused problems. When
some educated Black families have gained
better jobs they have moved out of the inner
cities causing the same problem as the White
flight, along with the added problem of leaving
the inner cities with a lack of positive role
models.
3 – Cuts to welfare: 65% of all those who
Social reasons for continued inequality
receive TANF are minorities. The government
The economic crisis in 2008 has led to cuts in social services
has been unable to afford to raise the level of
helping people out of poverty or into education.
TANF at the same rate as inflation, meaning
Lack of funding for schools means some young minorities have
each year poor people have less money.
become disengaged with education.
The lack of positive role models and rises in unemployment with
few prospects of getting a job have led to many minorities being
trapped in a cycle of poverty (your teacher will draw the cycle of
poverty on the board)
Political reasons for continued inequality
Despite the election of the first ever Black President, many minorities remain disillusioned with politics. As many are
still suffering from high unemployment rates and see the government as offering little help.
Obama has attempted to deal with social and economic problems but this has proved challenging. In April 2011 the
Federal Government was 1 hour away from shutting down as the Democrats and Republican could not agree on
government spending – Obama had to agree to REDUCE government spending by $39 billion.
Activities
1 - EXAM STYLE QUESTION - Explain, in detail, how social and economic progress has been made in the USA
(NAT 4 = 4 marks)
(NAT 5 = 8 Marks)
2 – Why do economic inequalities continue to exist in the USA?
3 – Why do social inequalities continue in the USA?
4 – Why have some minorities remained disillusioned with politics even after Obama was elected?
5 – What evidence is there that Obama is struggling to reduce social and economic inequalities?