Sociology and social policy

What does worsley argue?

a social problem is a piece of social behaviour that causes tension or private misery which calls for collective action to solve it

What is a sociological problem according to worsley?

• any pattern of relationships that calls for an explanation

Which factors influence sociology on social policy?

• Electoral popularity

• Ideological preferrences of gov

• Globalisation

Funding sources

What is the positivist and functionalist approach on social policy?

Comte and durkheim believe sociology can be used to establish social laws and scientifically based solutions to these issues, such as implementing a meritocratic education system or to abolish inherited wealth ti increase social cohesion, and emphasise a step by step appraoch and cures called ‘piecemeal social engineering’

What is an eval to the piecemeal social engineering approach?

• still fails to tackle educational inequality as it fails to recognise the influence of wider structures such as poverty leading to material deprivation or even cultural deprivation which holds pupils back

What is the social democratic perspective?

Townsend argues that sociologists should recommend ways to eradicate social problems such as poverty which he found can be done using higher welfare benefits and greater public spending and the black report on 37 far reaching policy recommendations, imporve housing etc but thatcher refused to let it implement

What are criticisms to the social democratic perspective?

• Marxists believe higher welfare spending wont reduce inequality, only abolishing capitalism will remove inequality especially because it is unlikely governments will spend less as seen by 2010 austerity measures and postmodernists believe a single metanarrative dominating is impossible to use to find the ultimte truth

What is the marxist perspective on social policy?

• Marxists believe policies provide ideological legitimation and gives capitalism a human face for pensions maternity leave etc

• They maintain the labour force for further exploitation like the nhs to keep workers fit

• Means of preventing revolution for example generous welfare benefits after ww2 to prevent overrule

• Social democratics believe that marxists ignore the real benefits

What is the feminist view on social policy?

They believe social policy serves patriarchy and assumes heterosexual married couple, which can lead to a self fulfilling prophecy. radical feminists believe policy does not benefit women and opt for seperatism to prevent harm from men, whilst liberal believe in progress from social policy.

eval, radical feminist give urealistic solutions the state cannot deliver

What is the view of the new right on social policy?

• Believe state should have minimal involvement, murray perverse incentives believe in policies that allow individuals to help themselves rather than for the state to help them like parenting classes or tax cuts instead of welfare benefits

• Support a law and order policy, like broken windows identified by wilson and kellinng