Welfare Recipients are Not Competent

In the article "Lessons of Welfare: Policy Design, Political Learning, and Political Action," Joe Soss argues that different groups, like the welfare citizens, interact differently with the government. This is due to the different experiences that the welfare client is exposed to and which in turn result in their political orientation and beliefs.

He compares two different assistant programs: The Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). A participant in the AFDC is less likely to vote than a participant in the SSDI. Why is this the case? It is due to the client's experience in their agency. A client in the AFDC develops more fear in their agency because "they perceive their welfare relationships as one-way transactions in which the agency had the authority to issue directives". They remain silent because of vulnerability because speaking out or voicing their concerns can result in getting cut off from the AFDC. Therefore compliance seems logical and rational in order to keep their membership in the AFDC. This kind of relationship makes clients passive and unable to become active citizens because of their fear to authority. In the SSDI, clients seemed less fearful of speaking out and issuing their dealings with their agencies. They take more of an active role in defending their needs. Through their experience "they see evidence that they can be effective initiators".

Overall, welfare programs negatively affect participation in the government and also seem to create a bad interaction with the government. Welfare programs are the most direct institution that people can easily have access to which in turn seem to develop only negative views about the government. Even though welfare program's aim is to advance the American population in the process it only creates bad citizenship. This is a new perspective and never did I imagine that welfare programs could shape the way a person viewed the government or in this case the way that participation in politics could be negatively affected. Welfare programs do help many citizens but this achievement should not be at the cost of fear or to the decline of political participation.