Transcript Slide 1

AMERICAN PUBLIC POLICY:
Comparisons with Other
Industrialized Democracies
Comparisons with Other Industrialized Democracies
TAXES
AND SPENDING
ECONOMIC
INTERVENTION
/ GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
SOCIAL
CIVIL
WELFARE PROGRAMS
RIGHTS / CIVIL LIBERTIES
EDUCATION
POVERTY
American Exceptionalism
The small size of government
 General
Measures:
– Taxes, employees, economic intervention,
government ownership.
 Social
Insurance (Social Security)
– no national Health, sickness pay, programs
established later, fewer benefits, fewer
universal programs
 Employment
Regulation:
– Minimum wage (lower), other protections
(fewer)
The small size of American
government (contd.)
 Public
Assistance
– US has more
 Family Programs:
US lacks:
– Family Allowance
– Strict Child Support enforcement
– Paid Family Leave
– Subsidized Child Care
Health Care Expenditures, 1998
(% of GDP/ppp)
United Kingdom
Finland
Japan
New Zealand
Austria
Denmark
Italy
Sweden
Australia
Netherlands
Norway
Belgium
Canada
France
Switzerland
Germany
Total
6.7
6.9
7.6
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.4
8.5
8.6
8.6
8.8
9.5
9.5
10.4
10.6
Government
5.6
5.3
6.0
6.2
5.8
6.8
5.6
7.0
5.9
6.0
7.1
7.9
6.6
7.2
7.7
7.9
United States
13.6
6.1
Health Expenditures, % of GDP: 1970-98
14
-- United States
12
United States
10
Switzerland
Germany
France
8
Norway
Canada
6
Australia
Sweden
Japan
4
Finland
United Kingdom
2
0
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
source: OECD Health Data 2001
http://www.oecd.org/els/health/software/fad.htm
1995
2000
Military Spending, 1993
Country
($000,000) Per Captia
United States
$297,600
$1,153
Russia
113,800
762
China
56,170
48
France
42,590
740
Japan
41,730
335
Germany
36,650
454
United Kingdom
34,020
587
Italy
20,570
354
Saudi Arabia
20,480
1,163
Korea, South
11,930
267
Taiwan
10,420
494
Canada
10,300
371
India
8,471
9
Spain
8,289
211
Australia
7,441
417
Turkey
7,075
116
Netherlands
7,055
462
Israel
6,290
1,279
Brazil
5,852
37
Sweden
5,011
574
Iran
4,857
78
Poland
4,334
113
Argentina
4,251
127
Greece
4,070
389
Switzerland
4,061
581
Belgium
3,746
373
Kuwait
3,545
2,088
Thailand
3,511
60
Norway
3,232
752
Pakistan
3,111
25
Korea, North
(NA)
(NA)
source: US Statistical Abstract , 1996
% of GNP
5%
15
3
3
1
2
4
2
16
4
5
2
3
2
3
6
2
9
1
3
4
2
2
6
2
2
13
3
3
6
23
Sorted by
total spending
(US dollars)
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
Old Socialism:
– public ownership of the means of
production
– Great Britain, for example
 New
Socialism:
– private ownership
– extensive social welfare programs
– Sweden, for example
Social Welfare Programs
Social
Insurance (Social Security)
Employment Regulation
Public Assistance
Family Programs
CORE SOCIAL INSURANCE PROGRAMS:
OASDHI
–Old Age Pension, Survivors Insurance,
Disability Insurance, Health Insurance
Workers Compensation
Unemployment Insurance
Sickness Pay
National Health Insurance

Dates of Enactment of Social Insurance
Programs in Seven Nations
Country
Canada
France
Workman's
Pension
Sickness Unemployment
Health
Compensation Insurance Insurance
Insurance
Insurance
1930
1898
1927
1905
1971
1930
1940
1905
1972
1945
Germany
1884
1889
1883
1927
1880
Italy
Sweden
United King.
United States
1898
1919
1928
1919
1945
1901
1913
1910
1934
1965
1887
1908
1911
1911
1948
1935
1935
----
1935
----
Source: Robert Kurdle and Theodore R. Marmor, "The Development of Welfare
States in North America," in Flora and Heidenheimer (1981, 83)
Employment Regulation:
US
Fair Labor Standards Act
– 40 hr. week, Minimum Wage,
– Child Labor, Family Leave
US
National Labor Relations Act
– Collective Bargaining Rights
Worker
Training Programs
Affirmative Action
Ratio of adult minimum wages to
median full-time earnings, 2000
France
Australia
Ireland
Greece
Belgium
Netherlands
New Zealand
Canada
United Kingdom
United States
Japan
Source: OECD, EQ 11
60.8%
57.7%
55.8%
51.3%
49.2%
47.1%
46.3%
42.5%
41.7%
36.4%
32.7%
Family Programs:
Family
Allowance
Strict
Child Support
enforcement
Paid
Family Leave
Subsidized
Child Care
Public Assistance Programs:
AFDC
Food
Stamps
Medicaid
SSI (formerly AB, APTD, OAA)
General Assistance
Poverty Programs:
 Meals
on Wheels, School Lunch, Head Start, Job
Training, WIC, Energy Assistance
Exceptions to Exceptionalism
 Military
spending, only since 1941
 Prisons, criminal justice system
– Capital punishment
 Judicial
system & litigation
– ---e.g. states suing cigarette companies
 Education
(maybe)
 Regulation (maybe)
 Tax expenditures
 Farm subsidies (partly)
 Prohibition
 Slavery and Jim Crow laws
Differences in program structure
Europe:
US:
•Comprehensive and
Universal programs
•Programs targeted to
specific groups
•Means tested
•Decentralized
Health Care: Europe and US
Europe
 National Health
Service, or
 National Health
Insurance
Covers 80-100% of
pop
 Covers 70-90 of
costs

United States
 Medicare (elderly) {Parts A & B}
 Medicaid (poor)
 Tax exclusion for employer
coverage (middle class)
 Indian Health Services
 CHIPS (working poor,
children)
 Veterans Health Care
 More………….
US Programs (continued)
 Black
Lung Health Benefits
 Municipal Hospitals
 Community Health Clinics
 Community Mental Health
 Kidney dialysis program
Covers 45% of pop
 Covers 45% of cost
(excluding tax benefits)

Public He alth Care Program s
Public Coverage
% of Costs: % of Population:
1998
1997
Luxembourg
Czech Republic
United Kingdom
Sweden
Iceland
Norway
Denmark
New Zealand
Japan
Finland
Ireland
Switzerland
Italy
Canada
Australia
Spain
France
Hungary
G ermany
Netherlands
United States
Copyright OECD HEALTH DATA 2001
92
92
84
84
83
83
82
78
77
77
76
73
71
70
70
77
76
82
76
69
45
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
92
75
45
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Bill
of Rights
– First Amendment (Speech, Press Religion)
– Second Amendment
– Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments
Abortion
Affirmative
Action
Power of the Judicial System
Imprisonment Rate: Selected Counrties
Rate per 100,000 of population
EDUCATION
USA
Historical
Development
Size
%
Private
Centralization / Equality
Quality
Link to
image