This six-page undergraduate paper examines the social welfare policy debate in terms of elitism and incrementalism. The author notes that the political debate in the United States over welfare and social policy has involved a discussion of deservingness, for elitists believe that many if not most poor people are poor because they deserve to be, while other theorists disagree. Some incrementalists share the perspective of elitists but are more willing to support social welfare policies, but only if they are implemented in increments.
