sociology and social policy

the influence of sociology on policy and perspectives on social policy and sociology

sociology influences policy

some sociologists are directly employed by govt agencies to find out data to help decide on new policies and to monitor their effects.

liberal feminist recommendations about equal pay and anti-discrimination laws have been accepted cuz they’re more moderate, improving the lot of women without drastically undermining the rights of men.

sociology is not concerned with policy

some sociology is motivated by the desire to expand human knowledge and understanding or to challenge widespread beliefs rather than to influence the organisation of social life. e.g. postmodernists believe that all views are equally valuable, which is not pragmatic enough to contribute significantly to social policy.

sociologists taking a conflict view of society are unlikely to agree with govts about how society needs to be changed. radical feminists, Marxists, and labelling theorists all view the status quo as a social problem. none of the major political parties would be willing to make the major structural changes urged by supporters of these perspectives, though they may consider suggestions for more limited change, e.g. the left wing recommendation for more consensus style policing.

policies influence sociology

new policies lead to new areas of research. e.g. the impact of new types of skls such as academies.

the govt funds sociological research through grants - it’s likely to fund projects concerned with the impact of govt policies as this is the most relevant for the govt.

policy disregards sociology

sociological research is only one of the factors of deciding on social policy. ultimately any policy is the result of political decisions by those in power. these decisions are based on:

- interest groups → These are pressure groups that seek to influence govt policies in their own interests. e.g. business groups may succeed in persuading govt not to raise the minimum wage, even though this might reduce poverty.
- globalisation → Social policy isn't just made by nation states in isolation. International orgs such as the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) may influence the social policies of individual govts.
- funding sources → In some cases, sociologists may tone down their findings and policy recommendations so as to fit in with their paymasters' wishes. Similarly, policymakers may recruit sociologists who share their assumptions and political values. The research findings may then be used to justify what the policymakers intended to do in the first place.

sociology should not be involved in providing info and advice for policy makers

sociologists should try to stay independent of govt orgs, since as working for them as paid researchers they could become ‘colonised’, losing sight of their own values and perhaps selecting data in line with what they know the govt hopes they’ll find (the imposition factor). Marxists and radical feminists view cooperation with establishment policy makers as a betrayal of principles as the states works in the interests of capitalism and patriarchy.

there could be conflicting findings from different researchers making it difficult to be sure that the policy proposed by one is likely to work.

sociology should be involved in providing info and advice for policy makers

sociologists should contribute to social policy as otherwise the discipline loses much of its relevance to real life, appearing to be an intellectual pursuit.

sociologists have an ethical duty to try to improve society and if they fail to inform policies, then poorer judgements will be made or other social scientists, such as economists and psychologists, will step into the breach with their own particular biases.

sociologists should be able to undertake research while maintaining objectivity in their methods.

perspectives on social policy and sociology - positivism and functionalism

functionalists see society as based on value consensus and free from fundamental conflicts. like positivists, they see the state as serving the interests of society as a whole, producing and implementing rational social policies for the good of all. These policies help society run more smoothly and efficiently. e.g. educational policies are seen as promoting equal opportunity and social integration.

For both functionalists and positivists, the sociologist's role is to provide the state with objective, scientific info. By investigating social problems and discovering their causes, sociologists provide the necessary info on which the state can base its policies.

Functionalists favour social policies that are sometimes referred to as 'piecemeal social engineering' - they favour a cautious approach, tackling one specific issue at a time.

limitation: the piecemeal approach has been criticised. Marxists → educational policies aimed at equalising opportunity for children of different classes are often defeated by the influence of poverty in wider society. social problems such as underachievement are simply aspects of a wider structure of class inequality, and so we need to change the basic structure of society in order to solve these specific problems.

perspectives on social policy and sociology - Marxism

society as divided by a fundamental conflict of interest in which the rc exploit the labour of the wc. the state represents the rc, and its social policies serve the interests of capitalism, not those of society as a whole:
- Policies provide ideological legitimation to mask capitalist exploitation. e.g. the welfare state gives capitalism a 'human face', making it appear that the system cares about the poor, sick and old.
- They maintain the labour force for further exploitation e.g. the NHS serves capitalism by keeping workers fit enough to work.
- They’re a means of preventing revolution when class conflict intensifies and threatens the stability of capitalism.

Marxists recognise that social policies do sometimes provide real, if limited, benefits to the wc. but, such gains are constantly threatened with reversal by capitalism's tendency to go into periodic crises of profitability, leading to cuts in state spending on welfare. thus, research that reveals the unpleasant truth about the social problems capitalism creates won’t be used to formulate policies to solve these problems. such problems can’t be solved by the capitalist state since capitalism is based on putting profits before human needs. The only solution to social problems is a revolution to overthrow capitalism and create a classless society.

limitation: Marxist views on social policy and the role of sociologists are impractical and unrealistic. Social democrats criticise them for rejecting the idea that research can help bring about progressive policies within the capitalist system.

perspectives on social policy and sociology - feminism

society as based on the fundamental conflict between genders. society is patriarchal, benefiting men at women's expense, and the state perpetuates women's subordination through its social policies.

e.g. family policies may assume that the 'normal' family is a conventional nuclear family with a heterosexual married couple. Thus, if the state assumes this and offers benefits to married couples but not to cohabiting ones, these policies may produce a self-fulfilling prophecy, encouraging the kind of family that the state assumed to be the norm in the first place and making it more difficult for people to live in other kinds of family.

Feminist research has had an impact in a number of policy areas. e.g. in education, it has influenced policies such as learning materials that promote more positive images of females and training to sensitise teachers to the need to avoid gender bias. Many of these policies reflect the liberal feminist view that anti-discrimination reforms will ultimately bring about gender equality.

radical feminist ideas have also had some influence on social policy. Radical feminists regard men as the direct oppressors of women, especially via the family. They thus favour separatism - the idea that women need to separate themselves from men to be free from patriarchy. One policy that reflects this is refuges for women escaping domestic violence. e.g. the Women's Aid Federation supports a national network of over 500 such services, often with funding from govt.

limitation: many feminists reject the view that reformist social policies can liberate women. e.g. both Marxist and radical feminists call for more far-reaching changes that the existing state can’t deliver.

perspectives on social policy and sociology - the New Right

the state should have minimal involvement in society. the New Right are opposed to using state provision of welfare to deal with social problems. state intervention robs people of their freedom to make their own choices and undermines their sense of responsibility. This leads to greater social problems, e.g. crime and delinquency.

e.g. Murray (1984) → generous welfare benefits act as 'perverse incentives' that weaken the family's self-reliance. They encourage the growth of a dependency culture and an underclass of lone mothers, undisciplined children, and irresponsible fathers who abandon their families. thus, Murray favours a reduction in state spending on welfare.

The New Right are critical of many existing policies. but, not opposed to social policy. the role of sociologists to propose alternative policies - should aim to restore individuals responsibility for their own welfare, rather than leaving it to the state. e.g. Breakdown Britain, a report by Conservative think tank, the Social Justice Policy Group (2007), proposes a range of new social policies aimed at the family. include marriage preparation and parenting classes, and support from the tax and benefit system for mothers who stay at home. the role of social policy should be to enable people to help themselves, rather than the welfare state attempting, and failing, to do it for them.

influence of New Right thinking
cuz of its ideological opposition to the state having a major role in welfare, New Right thinking has tended to be particularly attractive to the Conservative Party. but, some Labour policies have shown the influence of New Right views. e.g. New Labour regards a married couple as normally the best place to bring up children.

While not seeing a major role for the state in welfare, the New Right support a strong 'law and order' policy and research by right realists such as Wilson and Kelling has been influential in introducing zero tolerance policies.

limitation: the validity of the data on which Murray bases his claims about a link between absent fathers and delinquency has been challenged. Similarly, New Right policy proposals often use the findings of politically sympathetic think tanks.