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Social policy

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Social Security Administrationheadquarters is in Woodlawn, Maryland.

Some professionals and universities consider social policy a subset ofpublic policy,[1]while other practitioners characterize social policy and public policy to be two separate, competing approaches for the samepublic interest(similar toMD and DO in healthcare), with social policy deemed more holistic than public policy.[2]Whichever of these persuasions a university adheres to, social policy begins with the study of thewelfare stateandsocial services.[3]It consists ofguidelines,principles,legislationand associated activities that affect the living conditions conducive tohuman welfare,such as a person'squality of life.The Department of Social Policy at theLondon School of Economicsdefines social policy as "an interdisciplinary and applied subject concerned with the analysis of societies' responses to social need", which seeks to foster in its students a capacity to understand theory and evidence drawn from a wide range of social science disciplines, including economics, sociology, psychology, geography, history, law, philosophy and political science.[4]The Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy atHarvard Universitydescribes social policy as "public policy and practice in the areas ofhealth care,human services,criminal justice,inequality,education,and labor ".[5]Social policy might also be described as actions that affect the well-being of members of a society through shaping the distribution of and access to goods and resources in that society.[6]Social policy often deals withwicked problems.[7]

The discussion of 'social policy' in theUnited StatesandCanadacan also apply to governmental policy on social issues such as tacklingracism,[8]LGBTissues (such assame-sex marriage)[9]and the legal status ofabortion,[10]guns,[11]euthanasia,[12]recreational drugs[13]andprostitution.[14]In other countries, these issues would be classified underhealth policyanddomestic policy.

The study of social policy can either be a stand-alone degree at providers such as theUniversity of Birmingham,University of York,Oxford University,and theUniversity of Pennsylvania,a specialization as part of a public policy degree program such as atMcGill University,Balsillie School of International Affairs,Harris School of Public Policy,and theHertie School of Governance,or a joint degree along with a similar related degree in social work or public health such as atGeorge Warren Brown School of Social WorkatWashington University in St. Louis.In the Global South, social policy is offered along with public policy degree programmes, as at the Institute of Public Policy,National Law School of India University,Bangalore, combined with development policy.

History[edit]

See also:Welfare StateandWelfare
Hans von Aachen,AllegoryorThe Triumph of Justice(1598)

Social policyis a plan or action ofgovernmentor institutional agencies which aim to improve or reformsociety. Social policy was first conceived in the1940sbyRichard Titmusswithin the field of social administration in Britain.[15]Titmuss's essay on the "Social Division of Welfare" (1955) laid the development for social policy to gradually absorb social administration. Titmuss was anessayistwhose work concerned the failure of the market; the inadequacy of selective social services; and the superiority ofcollectivismand universal approaches. While some scholars describe social policy as aninterdisciplinaryfield of practice, scholars likeFiona Williamsand Pete Alcock believe social policy is adisciplineunto itself.

Some of the earliest examples of direct intervention by government in human welfare date back toAncient Rome'sCura Annonae(grain dole) founded in 123 BC, andUmar ibn al-Khattāb's rule as the secondcaliphof Islam in the 6th century: he usedzakatcollections and also other governmental resources to establish pensions, income support, child benefits, and various stipends for people of the non-Muslim community[citation needed].The enactment ofEnglish Poor Lawshelped curbpovertyand recidivism: these laws influenced the justices of Berkshire to implement theSpeenhamland system,which was the firstsocial programin the modern sense of that word. In the modern West, proponents of scientific social planning such as the sociologistAuguste Comte,and social researchers, such asCharles Booth,contributed to the emergence of social policymaking in the first industrialised countries following theIndustrial Revolution.Surveys of poverty exposing the brutal conditions in the urbanslumconurbations ofVictorian Britainsupplied the pressure leading to changes such as thedecline and abolition of the poor law systemandLiberal welfare reforms.Other significant examples in the development of social policy are theBismarckian welfare statein 19th centuryGermany,social security policies in the United Statesintroduced under the rubric of theNew Dealbetween 1933 and 1935, and both theBeveridge Reportand theNational Health Service Act 1946in Britain. Thus, two major models ofsocial insurancearose in practice: Bismarkian welfare from Germany and Beveridgean welfare from Britain.

Social policy in the 21st century is complex and in each state it is subject tolocalandnational governments,as well assupranationalpolitical influence. For example, membership of theEuropean Unionis conditional on member states' adherence to theSocial Chapterof European Union lawand otherinternational laws.[clarify]

Types[edit]

Lady Justicedepicts justice as equipped with three symbols: a sword symbolizing the court's coercive power; a human scale weighing competing claims in each hand; and a blindfold indicating impartiality.[16]

Social policy aims to improve human welfare and to meethuman needsfor education, health, housing and economic security.[17]Important areas of social policy arewellbeingand welfare, poverty reduction,social security,justice,unemployment insurance,living conditions,animal rights,pensions,health care,social housing,family policy,social care,child protection,social exclusion,education policy,crimeandcriminal justice,urban development,andlaborissues.

United States social policy[edit]

U.S. Secretary of StateWilliam Jennings Bryanwas the first major U.S. political figure to incorporate formal social policy into official government decisions, a champion ofsocial justice.Bryan is pictured in 1908.

The United States was a pioneer in generous social spending (relative to comparable countries), as it provided substantial social spending for Civil War veterans and their families.[18]However, the United States would go on to lag behind other advanced industrial democracies in social spending.

Religious, racial, ideological, scientific and philosophical movements and ideas have historically influenced American social policy, for example,John Calvinand his idea ofpre-destinationand theProtestantValues of hard work andindividualism.Moreover,Social Darwinismhelped mold America's ideas ofcapitalismand thesurvival of the fittestmentality. The Catholic Church's social teaching has also been considerably influential to the development of social policy.

PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt's ground breakingNew Dealis a paragon example of Social Policy that focused predominantly on a program of providing work and stimulating the economy through public spending on projects, rather than on cash payment. The programs were in response to theGreat Depressionaffecting the United States in the1930s.

United States politicians who have favored increasing government observance of social policy often do not frame their proposals around typical notions of welfare or benefits; instead, in cases likeMedicareandMedicaid,PresidentLyndon B. Johnsonpresented a package called theGreat Societythat framed a larger vision aroundpovertyandquality of life.

PresidentLyndon B. Johnsonwould also attempt to implement education policy under his Great Society package, introducing several programs and laws, such as theElementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965(ESEA),Higher Education Act of 1965(HEA), and theBilingual Education Act of 1967(BEA),and many others. These laws would form the backbone of the education policy changes of theNo Child Left Behind Act(NCLB), introduced during the administration ofRepublicanPresidentGeorge W. Bushwithbipartisansupport. The law took effect on January 8, 2002, attempting to raise standards in education, addresseducational inequities(framed as an achievement gap), and issues in schools framed as issues of accountability. The No Child Left Behind Act required every state toassess students on basic skillsto receive federal funding. While the law did attempt to address issues underlying U.S. education, its provisions were widely viewed as unsuccessful. States continued to create their own standards while assessing themselves. NCLB also led to the closure of numerous schools labeled "low-performing" or "failing", disproportionately impacting schools that served predominately Black students and rural communities.[19]Provisions of NCLB were changed and replaced under theRace to the Top(R2T, RTTT or RTT) andEvery Child Succeeds Act(ESSA) passed during the Administration of PresidentBarack Obama.

Insurancehas been a growing policy topic, and a recent example ofhealth care lawas social policy is thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Actformed by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by PresidentBarack Obama,aDemocrat,on March 23, 2010.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"About the Malcolm Wiener Center".Presidents and Fellows of Harvard. 15 February 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 25 December 2008.Retrieved21 May2015.
  2. ^"Penn SP2 Mission Statement".University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice.Retrieved26 April2021.
  3. ^Spicker, Paul."An introduction to Social Policy".www2.rgu.ac.uk.Retrieved21 May2015.
  4. ^"Welcome to the Department".London School of Economics (LSE).Retrieved21 May2015.
  5. ^"About the Malcolm Wiener Center".Presidents and Fellows of Harvard. 15 February 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 25 December 2008.Retrieved21 May2015.
  6. ^Social Policy in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Critical Introduction(2005) by Christine Cheyne, Mike O'Brien, & Michael Belgrave - Page 3
  7. ^Rittel, H.& Webber, M. (1973). Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning.Policy Sci4:155-169.
  8. ^Eilperin, Juliet; Mufson, Steven (28 April 2015)."Obama calls for social policy changes in wake of Baltimore riots".The Washington Post.Retrieved21 May2015.
  9. ^"Gay marriage inquiry reaches consensus".AustralianMarriageEquality.org.Retrieved21 May2015.
  10. ^"Gender and sex equality".Social Policy Digest.Cambridge Journals.Retrieved21 May2015.
  11. ^"Gun Control".Almanac of Policy Issues.Retrieved21 May2015.
  12. ^Thomasma, David C.; Graber, Glenn C. (1991). "Euthanasia: Toward an Ethical Social Policy".Ann Intern Med.114(12): 1067.doi:10.7326/0003-4819-114-12-1067_3.
  13. ^"Drug Use, Consequences and Social Policies"(PDF).Tammy L. Anderson, Ph.D.Chicago, IL: University of Illinois.Retrieved21 May2015.
  14. ^"Prostitution Policy in Canada: Models, Ideologies, and Moving Forward"(PDF).Canadian Association of Social Workers. 5 September 2014.Retrieved21 May2015.
  15. ^STEWART, JOHN (2020).Richard Titmuss: A Commitment to Welfare(1 ed.). Bristol University Press.doi:10.2307/j.ctv128fqbs.JSTORj.ctv128fqbs.
  16. ^Luban,Law's Blindfold,23
  17. ^Science, London School of Economics and Political."What is social policy?".London School of Economics and Political Science.Retrieved1 May2023.
  18. ^Skocpol, Theda (1992).Protecting Soldiers and Mothers.Belknap Press.ISBN9780674717664.Retrieved21 March2020.{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help)
  19. ^Tilsley, Alexandra (23 March 2017)."Subtracting Schools from Communities".Urban Institute.Retrieved28 December2021.

Further reading[edit]

Library resourcesabout
Social policy
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