Social Policy

What is Social Policy?

  • Social policy refers to the plans and actions of the government to tackle ‘social problems’

  • A law related to social issues.

  • Sociological research which measures social inequality, can be used to formulate these policies.

  • Examples include Equal Opps Act, Tax breaks for families, Education reform act etc.


Social Problems and sociological problems:

  • Social problems, according to Worlsley (1977), are some piece of social behaviour that causes public friction and private misery and calls for collective action to solve it. (EG: Poverty, Educational Underachievement)

  • A sociological problem, according to Worlsley, is any pattern or relationships that calls for explanation. It’s any piece of behaviour we wish to make sense of. (ie, not social problems)


The influence on sociology on social policty:

  • Factors that influence whether sociological research influences social policy include:

    • Electoral popularity

    • Ideologies of governments

    • Interest groups

    • Globalisation

    • Critical sociology

    • Cost & Funding sources


Sociological perspectives on social policy & sociology:

  • Positivism and functionalism

    • Early sociologists saw sociology as part of the enlightenment project

    • Society based on value consensus: policies help it run more smoothly

    • Sociologists should deliver objective information.

    • They prefer to tackle one issue at a time: ‘Piecemeal social engineering.

  • The social democratic perspective

    • Shares marxist view: society is based on inequality

    • Believe social problems should be researched, then policy recommendations made.

    • Examples are Peter Townsend and the Black Report.

  • Marxism

    • Marxism believe that the state’s exploitation of the working class is legitimised by social policies which serve to:

      1. Provide ideogloical legitimisation for this exploitation

      2. Maintain the labour force for further exploitation (THE NHS)

      3. Are a means to prevent a revolution (Welfare state mollified workers)

    • According to marxists, sociologists should criticise social policy, not contribute to it.

  • Feminism

    • According to feminists, society and social policty aims to uphold patriarchy

    • Feminism has had an impact on several areas including learning materials and teacher training, women’s refuges


The New Right:

  • Believe that the state should minimise involvement with society; particularly opposed to benefits which undermines self-sufficiency and independence

  • Murray (1984), Breakdown Britain (2007)

  • They oppose many existing social policies and believe sociologists should propose alternative ones

  • Has influence conservative and new labour governments.