Class 2 Flashcards
Definitions of social policy and social welfare Orders of government and their responsibilities Ethics, equality, equity and social justice (Guest presenter: Ikram Jama, Equity Services) Skills development: Reflecting on our position in society
What is social welfare?
- The well-being of society AND general efforts to improve that well-being
- Well-being of society includes various factors (e.g. health, environment, wealth, social participation)
- Influenced by various groups including government, nonprofit and voluntary sector, private sector, individuals and families.
What is a policy?
Policy: decisions made about what to do (or not to do) in relation to a specific problem
Policy can be made by different levels of government, within organizations or even by individuals.
What is social policy?
Social policy: Policies developed and implemented to promote the well-being of, or address specific problems in, society.
Social policy can be defined narrowly (i.e. only to include social services, healthcare etc.) or broadly (to include, for example, immigration policy, taxation policy as well as social justice and social inclusion)
Many factors influence social policy (e.g values, status quo, group power etc)
What is the welfare state?
The welfare state: The structures that a government creates to enact social policy and improve social welfare.
Individual vs Collective Responsibility
Individual : relying solely on one
Collective: multiple policies or people working to fix a problem
What is redistribution // Why is it needed
Richest vs poorest families within Canada
Sharing the wealth and equal field leads to good things all around
Federal is in charge of …
National issues, e.g. Defence Foreign affairs and trade Immigration and citizenship Indigenous affairs Post
Transport
Police
Provincial/Territorial is in charge of …
Regional issues, e.g. Education Health Natural resources Welfare
Transport
Police
Municipal is in charge of ..
Local issues, e.g. By-laws Emergency services Libraries Planning Waste disposal
Transport
Police
How does policy work?
Federal/provincial cabinets Legislative chambers Government bureaucrats Frontline policy implementers, e.g. social workers, police, corrections officers etc. Judiciary
Everyone involved in design/implementation can influence policy (top-down or bottom-up)
What is Fiscal Federalism
The financial relationship between the federal government and the provincial governments, includes:
Coordination over taxation
Grants to provinces for specific programs (e.g. healthcare)
Equalization payments: to equalize standard of service provision
Can lead to friction …
Talk about Micro-Agressions // Mosquito bites
Micro Agressions // Mosquito Bites that can occur to a type of group more than others can be seen as an over exaggeration to groups of people who don’t frequently get questions that are (rude) basically
Diversity?
The quality of being different or unique at the individual or group level. This includes work style, culture parental status, sexual orientation, gender, gender Identity, skin color, language, age, mental and physical abilities and more
Equity?
Is the fair treatment, access,
opportunity, and advancement for all people,
while at the same time striving to identify and
eliminate barriers that have prevented the full
participation of some groups.
How we achieve equity within society?
Increasing justice and fairness
within the procedures and processes of
institutions or systems, as well as in their
distribution of resources. Tackling equity
issues requires an understanding of the root
causes of outcome disparities within our
society.
