Political Science I / From the Minimal State to the Welfare State
Practice question · Multiple choice

Addressing 'new social risks' demands direct services rather than classic cash transfers. What administrative challenge follows from this shift?

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  1. How does providing active personal care differ operationally from processing a pension cheque?
  2. Why can rules-based automation handle transfers more readily than service delivery?
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A. Frontline staff must exercise judgement rather than follow fixed rules

Why

Standard social insurance relied on formulaic, rules-based cash transfers. By contrast, modern services like care require street-level discretion, meaning administration cannot simply be reduced to mechanical processing or traditional legal scrutiny.

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