Dean what is social policy reading

Social Policy (capitals)

Academic study of social policy and how societies organize care, support and resources to promote human wellbeing

Ex. uni course or textbook, research project, academic article, univeral healthcare

social policy (lowercase)

Actual policies created by governments and institutions

Ex. healthcare, pensions, housing, education

Social Policy is both _____ and _____

Practical and aspirational

Examines power inequality and dilemmas helping people live healthy lives

Wellbeing & Welfare

WB how well people are (quality of life)

WF how well people do (material, possession support)

Hartley Dean prefers ____ over ____

Wellbeing, welfare

Social Policy is all about…

aspects that affect life.. and is

• health education jobs money love security

• Organized by governments families communities businesses

UK social spending 2004-5

320 billion (25% of GDP, 2/3 spending)

What is GDP

Gross domestic product

• Total monetary value of goods and services made within a time period

• Used to measure economic size, wealth, growth

Social Policy spending comparisons

• Sweden: 33% GDP

• France germany: >25%

• USA: 16%

• UK: 25%

Multi Disciplinary

Social Policy borrows tools from many fields

Ex. sociology, economics, politics

Inter Disciplinary

Combines methods from different fields to focus on human wellbeing

Social Policy needs both _______ and be ____

Hard evidence and analysis, and be creative

Social Policy students are like ____ (take what they need) not _____ (aimless)

Magpies (pragmatic), butterflies

Richard Titmuss (1955)

Views social policies as addressing states of dependency (childhood, old age, illness, unemployment)

Richard Titmuss (1970)

Views welfare state as a system of gift relationships (giving through taxes/services, even to strangers)

Amartya Sen: Capabilities approach

Wellbeing is freedom to live lives we value

Poverty is capability deprivation

Doyal & Gough (1991)

Two universal needs: Physical health + personal autonomy

• Intermediate needs: food, housing, education, healthcare, security, relationships

Martha Nussbaum (2000)

Combined capabilities: freedoms depend on institutional/ social conditions

Caring for vs. Caring about (Parker 1981)

Caring for: practical often women in families

Caring about: public concern/policy often males

Policymaking is both a ____ and an ____ (Aneurin Bevan)

Science, art

Policies can _____ ____ instead of promoting _____

Stigmatize or control groups, wellbeing

Who was the early sociologist that promoted interdependence in modern societies?

Émile Durkheim (1893)

Aristotle

The balance of pleasure, citizenship, thinking

Sen

How wellbeing = capabilities

Nussbaum

That capabilities require supportive institutions

social policies arise because…

Societies need to recognize and respond to states of dependency