sociology and social policy

Question 1

4 of GIDDENS ways sociology contributes to social policy

Answer 1

1. providing the evidence = surveys - policy makers draw on to form evidence-based policies
2. assessing the results = sociological research can help to establish whether policies have worked
3. providing an awareness of cultural differences = seeing different perspectives developing an ‘informed awareness’
4. providing practical professional knowledge = sociologists work in a wide range of occupations so provide professional inputs as policy is formed

Question 2

the politics of policy making

Answer 2

government policy also have to consider wider global issues before implementing a policy

governments may not be able to afford to implement policies or have to make financial savings

Question 3

who is policy advice given by

Answer 3

research institutions which are broadly or politically allied with a government.

often provide evidence that supports the ideological and political preference of the government or political party

whether their policy is accepted will be influenced by their desire to9 win elections - unpopular = unlikely to be adopted

Question 4

politics of policy making AO2

Answer 4

Toynbee
little evidence that putting more criminal sin prison lowers crime rates so its not worth the money it costs to lock them up
politicians want more police on the beat - ignoring the fact that each officer on the beat will only come within 100m of a. crime every 8 years
yet politicians ignore and call for more imprisonment and police officers on the beat as its what works for the voters

Question 5

davis AO2

Answer 5

prostitution
the government’s policy on prostitution was highly selective in its use of social research in order to provide support for its own view on prostitution - ignored research that may undermine their policy
e.g the effectiveness of alternative approaches adopted by other countries

Question 6

social policies

Answer 6

plans, actions and laws put in place by the government which are created to try and improve society or tackle social issues

Question 7

functionalist perspective on social policy

Answer 7

policies help society run ore smoothly and efficiently

sociological research helps the government create policies that help society function

tackle one issue at a time ‘piecemeal sociological engineering’

Question 8

func perspective AO3

Answer 8

marxists criticise and say we need to change the basic structure of society in order to solve specific problems

Question 9

marxist perspective on social policy

Answer 9

it provides ideological legitimation to mask capitalist exploitation

they maintain the labour force by further exploitation

a means of preventing revolution

Question 10

marxist perspective AO3

Answer 10

policies such as welfare benefits do actually benefit the working class

Question 11

liberal feminists perspective

Answer 11

sociological research can influence governments to create laws which reduce inequality

Question 12

liberal fem AO3

Answer 12

too optimistic
this is supported by the failure of policies such as the equal pay act

Question 13

radical and marxist fem perspective

Answer 13

the state perpetuates women’s subordination through social policy
e.g maternity vs paternity leave

Question 14

liberal and marxist fem AO3

Answer 14

ignore the positive change
they criticise social policy because it is reformist rather than revolutionary

Question 15

new right perspective

Answer 15

social policy is bad for society because it encourages dependency

the gov should have minimal involvement in people’s lives

social policy should only exist to reduce the need for them in the future

Question 16

new right AO3

Answer 16

sometimes there is a need for large government involvement

Question 17

postmodern perspective

Answer 17

sociological research doesn’t prove the ‘turht’ because there is no such thing as the ‘truth’ it just provides a possible truth

creating policies would be pointless because it aims to fix something that may not exist

Question 18

postmodernist AO3

Answer 18

it offers a possible solution to societies issues

Question 19

func perspective ao2

Answer 19

educational policies are seen as promoting equal opportunity and social integration, healthy and housing policies assist the family in performing its functions more effectively

Question 20

marxism perspective AO2

Answer 20

the NHS maintain the work force for further exploitation by keeping them fit enough to work

Question 21

feminism perspective AO2

Answer 21

family policies assume the ‘normal’ family is the conventional nuclear family and offers benefits to married couples by not to cohabiting ones, these policies may produce a self-fulfilling prophecy and encourage the kind of family the state assume to be the norm

Question 22

new right perspective AO2

Answer 22

Murray agrees that generous welfare benefits weaken the families self reliance and encourage a growth in the dependency culture and lone mothers

Question 23

influences on the formation of new social policy

Answer 23

desire of governments to stay popular and get re-elected

financial constraints and resources of governments

public perceptions on what’s a ‘good thing’