AP® Comparative Government and Politics review sheet from Aim for Five (aimforfive.com/comp-gov/units/5/5-6)
Unit 5 · Topic 5.6
5.6 Adaptation of Social Policies
Social policies such as health care, pensions, cash transfers, education and rules on gender aim to improve people's lives, and governments use them to build legitimacy. Compare what each course country offers, who pays and what political goals the programs serve.
Key terms
- social policy
- welfare
- conditional cash transfer
- gender quota
- universal health care
Why governments make social policy
Social policies reduce poverty and risk, but they're also political. Typical goals are less poverty, higher literacy and better public health. Programs can also win support for a party, calm unrest, reward key groups or show that the government delivers. Their design reflects values: a universal program covers everyone, while a targeted (means-tested) program helps only those below an income line.
Social programs also cost money, raised through taxes, resource revenue or borrowing, and cutting them can cause a backlash.
Conditional cash transfers
A conditional cash transfer (CCT) pays poor families if they meet conditions, like keeping children in school and attending health checkups. Mexico's Progresa, launched in 1997 (later called Oportunidades and then Prospera), became a model copied around the world because it was carefully evaluated and showed gains in school attendance and health. Mexico ended Prospera in 2019 and replaced it with broader scholarships and a universal pension for older adults. Nigeria launched a national social investment program in 2016 that included cash transfers and school meals.
Country examples
| Country | Policy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UK | National Health Service (1948) | Tax-funded, free at the point of use; also Universal Credit, a combined welfare payment |
| Mexico | Cash transfers, pensions, gender parity | Shift from conditional to more universal programs since 2019; strict gender parity rules for candidates and officials |
| Nigeria | Social investment program, health insurance | Limited reach because of a large informal economy and tight budgets |
| Russia | Maternity capital (from 2007), pensions | Payments to families for having a second child, later the first; 2018 pension reform raising the retirement age set off protests |
| Iran | Health care network, subsidies, education | Rural health houses expanded basic care; women make up a large share of university students, though some fields have faced limits |
| China | Minimum income support (dibao), basic health insurance | Near-universal basic health insurance; benefits often depend on household registration (hukou) |
Gender and social policy
Rules on women's rights are part of social policy. Mexico requires gender parity in candidates and many appointed posts. Iranian women have voted since 1963 and can serve in the Majles, and women have held cabinet and vice-presidential posts, but no woman has been approved by the Guardian Council to run for president, and dress rules are enforced. Iran has also had long disputes over women's access to some university programs and to men's sporting events in stadiums, which were mostly closed to women for decades. Nigeria has no national gender quota, and women hold a small share of seats in the National Assembly. Girls' access to school is much lower in the north than in the south, and insecurity, including mass school kidnappings, has kept many northern girls out of class. The UK leaves candidate selection to parties.
Abortion rules in Mexico differ by state. In 2021 the Supreme Court ruled that making abortion a crime is unconstitutional, and many states have since decriminalized it in early pregnancy, while others have not changed their laws.
Common mistakes
- Describing Mexico's CCT program as current under its old names. Prospera ended in 2019.
- Calling the NHS insurance-based. It's funded mainly through general taxation.
- Listing a program without explaining its political purpose, such as building legitimacy or support.
On the exam
- Questions often ask how a social policy builds legitimacy. Explain who benefits and why that strengthens support for the government.
- Conditional cash transfers are a favorite concept; be able to define them and give Mexico's example.
Connected topics
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Check yourself
4 questions on 5.6 Adaptation of Social Policies. Pick an answer to see if you got it, and why.
| Group of villages | Children enrolled in secondary school at start (%) | Children enrolled after three years (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Villages in the program | 64 | 79 |
| Comparison villages | 63 | 67 |
Hypothetical evaluation in which villages were randomly assigned to receive a conditional cash transfer program or not
Based on the data, the program's effect on enrollment is best estimated at about
Why is it important that the study includes comparison villages?
A conditional cash transfer program like the one evaluated differs from a simple cash grant because it
In 2018, Russia's government proposed raising the pension age, which led to protests and a drop in approval ratings, and the president then softened the plan for women. This case best shows that
0 of 4 answered