The Effects of Beneficiary Targeting on Public Support for Social Policies

Lawrence, Eric; Stoker, Robert P.; Wolman, Harold

doi:10.1111/psj.12014

Cited by 22 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…In the United States and Western Europe, support for social welfare programs varies with the nature of the program and its targeted beneficiaries (Goren, ; Lawrence, Stoker, & Wolman, ; van Oorschot, ; Schneider & Ingram, ). Programs that provide benefits to the elderly are popular, as seen in widespread support for Social Security and Medicare programs in the United States, whereas American programs targeted for single mothers or the unemployed in Western Europe receive far less public support (Gilens, ; Huddy, Jones, & Chard, ; Larsen, ; van Oorschot, ; Petersen, Slothuus, Stubager, & Togeby, ).…”

Section: Empathic Ability and Its Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Interplay of Empathy and Individualism in Support for Social Welfare Policies

Feldman

Huddy

Wronski

et al. 2019

Political Psychology

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Public support for government welfare programs is grounded in two potentially conflicting factors: a belief in individualism which undermines support for welfare assistance and the capacity for empathy which potentially enhances support. However, empathy is an expensive psychological commodity subject to pervasive up‐ and down‐regulation. This article examines the degree to which a belief in individualism affects the expression of compassionate support for a person in need among those with the capacity for empathy. In two online survey experiments, empathic ability powerfully increases support for a welfare recipient and social welfare policies when it does not conflict with individualism. But, empathic ability decreases compassion and support for government welfare among strong individualists. Evidence that individualists down‐regulate empathy for someone in need of government assistance is consistent with the conservative view that welfare promotes dependency and undermines individual agency. In contrast, charitable assistance is not associated with long‐term dependency, and we find that empathy is up‐regulated by strong individualists to generate charitable support for the same individual to whom they denied government assistance. The up‐ and down‐regulation of empathy in response to someone in need of government welfare helps illuminate the sharp divisions over social welfare policy among the American public.

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Section: Empathic Ability and Its Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Interplay of Empathy and Individualism in Support for Social Welfare Policies

Feldman

Huddy

Wronski

et al. 2019

Political Psychology

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show abstract

“…Likewise, in both the United States and Europe, conservatives express greater skepticism over immigration and more‐negative views of immigrants (Pew Research Center, , ). Furthermore, there is a partisan and ideological divide over the use of deservingness heuristics; conservatives and Republicans are more likely to rely upon group heuristics to develop social policy preferences (Lawrence, Stoker, & Wolman, ).…”

Section: Policy Feedbackmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, there is a partisan and ideological divide over the use of deservingness heuristics; conservatives and Republicans are more likely to rely upon group heuristics to develop social policy preferences (Lawrence, Stoker, & Wolman, 2013).…”

Section: Social Rights and Policy Feedbackmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weathering the Storm: Social Policy and the Great Recession

Maks‐Solomon¹,

Stoker²

2019

Policy Studies Journal

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This review discusses recent challenges to the welfare state arising from the Great Recession (GR). The GR was a significant event for social policy analysts, as it tested the responsiveness of welfare systems in the midst of a recent trend toward austerity politics in advanced economies. Social policy changes were part of the toolkit advanced democracies used to respond to the GR, and the welfare state mitigated the consequences of the GR. However, a stark limitation of the social safety net in the United States was the failure to assist immigrant households. The nexus of immigration and social policy is likely to be a significant controversy as we consider the meaning of social citizenship.

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“…Scholars note that climate policy is often embroiled in partisan divisions, especially in North America (McCright and Dunlap 2011; Konisky et al 2015). They note the role of ‘group‐centric heuristics’ in generating policy support, especially among conservatives (Lawrence et al 2013). Such a partisan divide is revealed in support for different carbon tax designs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Policy design and public support for carbon tax: Evidence from a 2018 US national online survey experiment

Dolšak

Adolph

Prakash

2020

Public Administration

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Public support for policy instruments is influenced by perceptions of how benefits and costs are distributed across various groups. We examine different carbon tax designs outlining different ways to distribute tax revenues. Using a national online sample of 1,606 US respondents, we examine support for a $20/ton carbon tax that is: (1) revenue neutral: revenue is returned to citizens via tax cuts; (2) compensation‐focused: revenue is directed to helping actors disproportionately hurt by the tax; (3) mitigation‐focused: revenue funds projects reducing carbon emissions; and (4) adaptation‐focused: revenue is directed to enhancing community resilience to extreme weather events. We find devoting revenue to mitigation raises overall support for carbon tax by 6.3 per cent versus the control (54.9 per cent) where no information on spending is provided. Other frames raise support in specific subgroups only. Revenue neutrality raises support among lower‐income households (+6.6 per cent) and political independents (+9.4 per cent), while compensation increases support among lower‐income repondents (+6.1 per cent).

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The Effects of Beneficiary Targeting on Public Support for Social Policies

Cited by 22 publications

References 15 publications

The Interplay of Empathy and Individualism in Support for Social Welfare Policies

The Interplay of Empathy and Individualism in Support for Social Welfare Policies

Weathering the Storm: Social Policy and the Great Recession

Policy design and public support for carbon tax: Evidence from a 2018 US national online survey experiment

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