Question 1
Given what you know about Australia’s welfare approach, would you say it is closer to Sweden’s or America’s or different altogether? Give reasons or evidence to support your answer.
Australia’s first approach to welfare was in 1901. Sweden’s designed its own welfare system around the great depression period. America’s welfare policy started in the 1935. In order for welfare to exist, the host government needs money and to obtain such, the government taxes its residents, non-residents and businesses on different taxation schemes and redistributes it to the community. Such redistributions are in forms of childcare benefits, healthcare, housing and much more.
In Australia, there are 4 wage thresholds and the highest …show more content…
The results are then tabulated for minimum or maximum childcare benefit rate for the applicant, which allows for up to 50 hours a week of childcare services. In Sweden, childcare is free for all its citizens, parents or single parents who are working or unemployed are able to choose either private institutions or public childcare centers for their children and the government or state pays. In America, citizens have to fork out of their own pocket for childcare services, if one wants to receive social welfare payment for childcare, the parents or single parents has to show signs of financial needs.
Statistically Australia gives 12 times more benefits to the poor in the lowest quartile as compared to the rich in the highest quartile. Compared to Sweden benefits are most likely to be similarly equal amoung the citizens. America on the other hand, is excessively different and inequality is huge, poor people do not receive as much benefits from the government and have to rely on non-profit organization for benefit …show more content…
As seen in childcare benefits, Australia favours the poor where one has to go through an eligibility test, whereas Sweden is equal to all it citizens and America has to rely on one’s self being. For healthcare, Australia again supports the poor and the rich might have to rely on insurance, Sweden’s healthcare is open to all it citizens and favours their wishes to seek private or public treatment and the government pays for and America most citizens have to have private insurance to stand a chance in the community. In Addition, the inequality of income and income taxation in the country affects its own welfare system. This could be partly affiliated to the country’s culture where it develops individual personalities and ethics of how a person lives or should live, thus, electing a government that supports their way of thinking/life and ultimately the government has to meets it’s citizens needs to be re-elected. Thus, welfare in countries vary because of the culture in the