Chapter 9 Economic policy - Book Report/Review Example

Economic policy This chapter offers an in-depth analysis of American political system including political policies, institutions, and resources. It reveals how America’s democracy is ineffective since it has been unable to handle inequalities in economic and political resources. Further, it shows the connections between social issues such as health care, education, and American politics. The book shades light on the ongoing debate between democracy and capitalism (Katznelson, Kesselman, and Draper 2010).

The main theme in the chapter includesHealth care issuesAmerica’s globalized futureEducation The issue of access to health care in American society is connected with the politics of power. For instance, social and economic sectors are the main determinants of health. Social determinants in reference to health contribute in an individual possession of social, physical, and individual resources to obtain and identify individual aspirations. From the chapter, Katznelson, Kesselman, and Draper (2010) state that “resources made available to the society, their quality and quantity goes a long way to become social determinants to people’s health.

” In the United States, issues related to health care have only a negligible proportion in the status of health differences existing among the Americans. Katznelson, Kesselman, and Draper (2010) state that “Health behavior differences such as cases of smoking, drinking, and diet have been found to have minimum impact on health than the social determinants, which include income.” In line with my opinions about American politics, I think it is important for politicians to know that health effects of social policies should ultimately change the value that the American population places on them.

This is because of great indifference among the population, which the social policies seem to encourage. The policies largely tend to favor the rich at the expense of the poor. Emphasis should be placed on social determinants of health and not behavioral risk factors. This chapter is valuable compared to other readings regarding America’s political system and issues affecting American people. For instance, effects on health, related to the level of income tend to have the greatest bearing on the American people than risk factors related to behavior such as smoking and alcohol use.

For example, many Americans are dying of chronic diseases such as stroke and heart diseases because of their economic conditions. They are unable to pay for medication because access to health care in America have been politicized thus made expensive (Katznelson, Kesselman and Draper 2010). Ideas from this chapter have provided comprehensive coverage of issues affecting American society that have been neglected because of politics. Health care issues in America are about efficiency, fairness, quality, choice, value, access, and cost.

The rise in health care cost in American society in the past years has been attributed to alterations in insurance covers, increasing prices, and high incomes among middle class Americans. I think changes in governments will interfere with policymaking decisions because the sitting government may decide to use the federal government debts to affect future policies on the economy. The federal government will move away from a balanced budget in order to have its economic policies implemented. Since politicians are playing politics with economic policies, their argument will in turn alter economic efficiency (Katznelson, Kesselman and Draper 2010).

In addition, income inequalities will result in economic policies that hinder growth. Political institutions may also hinder economic policy in that if electoral rules are drafted to enhance economic efficiency during election periods, they might remove over-spending but also will edge society’s potential to remove incumbent economic policies that are inept.Work CitedKatznelson, Ira, Kesselman, Mark and Draper, Alan. The Politics of Power: A Critical Introduction to American Government, 6th Ed.

New York: Wadsworth Publishers, 2010. Print.