sociology and social policy

Question 1

functionalism

Answer 1

sociological research should help the government create policies that help society to function

they tackle one issue at a time with ‘piecemeal sociological engineering’ (e.g. creating a policy on improving equal opportunity in education)

Durkheim believed that through scientific research they could discover both the problems and the solutions to society’s problems through social facts. therefore, sociology’s role to provide the state with objective scientific information that they can use to base their policies on (e.g. Durkheim’s research led to him proposing an education system based on merit and the abolition of inherited wealth, he argued this would lead to a more cohesive society)

Question 2

the new right

Answer 2

believe the state should have a minimal involvement in society. they are opposed to the states involvement in the family, income support, education and health

Murray argues that the welfare state give ‘perverse incentives’, which weakens self-reliance and encourages a dependency culture

in an ideal world, welfare benefits would not exist, but due to how this is not possible, they believe the state should make welfare benefits that will reduce the need for them in the future

Question 3

marxism

Answer 3

the state represents the ideas of the ruling class, so it’s policies are in the interests of capitalism, and do not serve society as a whole. therefore social policy:
- legitimises the theological: by providing the welfare state, this helps to mask capitalism by making it appear that they care about the poor, sick and old
- maintains the labour force for further exploitation - e.g. the NHS keeps workers fit enough to work
- is a means of preventing revolution when class conflict threatens capitalism -e.g. the creation of the welfare state after the war was a way of making sure the WC did not rise up and oppose capitalism

social policy does sometimes provide real benefits to WC, however the provision of benefits and services are constantly threatened by welfare cuts

Question 4

feminism

Answer 4

feminists in general see the state as perpetuating women’s subordination through their social policies. this is because the state bases its policies on the nuclear family so offers benefits to married couples and not cohabiting ones, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy by encouraging the nuclear family and making it difficult for other kinds of family

however, liberal feminists see their research as having an impact in education, they gave seen changes in the images of females in teaching material - it is now more positive. also, teacher training now ensures they are sensitive to gender bias and encourages them to be inclusive

the creation of women’s refuges for women escaping domestic violence

the feminist movement has also had an impact on policy on equality (e.g. Sex Discrimination Act and Equal Pay Act)

Question 5

social democrats

Answer 5

social democrats adopt a similar view to marxists in terms of the existence of inequality and wanting to adopt a more equal society, but unlike marxists, they believe sociological research can help the government to create policies that reduce inequality

Question 6

postmodernism

Answer 6

postmodernists believe sociological research does not provide the ‘truth’ because there is no such things as the ‘truth’, just many different forms of it, therefore, sociological research only provides the possible truth

creating social policies would be pointless due to how it aims to fix an issue that does not exist in the first place