Sociology and social policy

Question 1

What is meant by social policy?

Answer 1

• plans and actions of governments to tackle social problems such as education & health

Question 2

What is the difference between social problems and sociological problems?

Answer 2

-** Worsley**> social problem > form of social behaviour that causes public friction requiring intervention to solve it from government e.g. crime, poverty
- sociological problem > is any social behaviour that sociologists seek to understand even if it is not considered problematic by society e.g. why families break down

Question 3

What factors may affect whether or not sociological research succeeds in influencing policy?

Answer 3

• electoral popularity > policymakers may ignore research if it may be unpopular with voters
• Government ideology > governments may reject policies that contradict their own vales or perspective e.g. conservatives ignored the Black report on health inequality
• interest groups> pressure groups e.g. businesses, union may influence policies in their own interests
• Globalizations> international organizations e.g. the EU may shape policy
• funding sources > research funded by the state may be biased towards certain policy solutions

Question 4

What is argued about those who have the power to define the problem?

Answer 4

• Burden argues that social problems are not neutral or objective but are shaped by those in power e.g. John Bowlby’s attachment theory led to policies encouraging women to stay home with their children reinforcing gender roles
• what is counted as a social problem e.g. teenage pregnancy, drug use often depends on media portrayal & political agenda rather than actual social harm

Question 5

Evaluation of influence of sociology on social policy

Answer 5

• concept of a social problem is subjective > what one society sees as a problem another may not e.g. homosexuality
• explains why some social problems e.g. white collar crime receives less attention than other despite causes financial losses
• overstates the role of political elites > some social problems are genuinely urgent & require intervention regardless of ideology e.g. pandemic response

Question 6

What is the positivists and functionalists view on social policy?

Answer 6

• positivists view sociology as a science that can provide objective knowledge to solve social problems & improve society
• e.g. Durkheim’s proposed concept of meritocracy as a way to reduce inequality and foster social cohesion
• Functionalists similarly see society as based on a value consensus >thus see social policy as serving the interest of society as a whole for the good of all
• polices help society to run smoothly and effectively e.g. educational policies (education) and housing & health polices(family)
• sociologists role = provided the state with objective, scientific information by discovering causes of social problems which state can base its policies

Question 7

Evaluation of the positivist & functionalist view on social policy

Answer 7

• Marxist argue that educational polices aimed at equalising opportunity for children of different classes are often defeated by the influence of poverty in wider society > overly optimistic
• recognizes the importance of social cohesion & how polices can prevent instability & disorder
• fail to recongnise that policymakers often have ideological biases that shape policy decisions

Question 8

What is the social democratic view on social policy?

Answer 8

• build on functionalist idea but is more concerned with reducing inequality by redistributing wealth & income from the rich to the poor
• believe state should take responsibility for providing healthcare, education etc.
• argue that sociologist should work closely with policymakers to improve living standards particularly for the w/c
• Townsend > based on his research on poverty, made recommendations for polices such as higher benefit levels to eradicate such social problems
• the black report (1980) exemplifies this approach > providing research into health inequalities & recommending polices such as increased welfare spending to address them e.g. FSM > ignored by conservative gov

Question 9

Evaluation of social democratic perspective on social policy

Answer 9

• recognises that poverty & social problems have structural causes rather than being individual failings
• Marxists argue that this approach is too reformist> it focuses on minor changes rather than addressing the fundamental causes of inequality (capitalism) > Black Report shows that policy recommendations are often ignored if they threaten the interests of the ruling class
• ideological biases

Question 10

What is the Marxists view on social policy?

Answer 10

• Marxist take a critical approach, arguing that social policies primarily serve the interest of the ruling class > state appears to help the w/c:
• By providing ideological legitimation to mask capitalist exploitation e.g. welfare state gives capitalism a caring face making it appear the system cares about the poor, sick etc.
• They maintain the labour force further exploitation > NHS ensures that workers remain healthy & productive for the capitalist employers
  > in reality these measures prevent revolution by giving workers just enough (a safety net) to keep them from rebelling

Question 11

What do Marxists argue the role of sociologist should be?

Answer 11

• they should criticise capitalist social policy, not to serve the capitalist state
• sociologist must reveal the exploitation that underpins capitalism and the way in which the ruling class use social polices to mask exploitation

Question 12

Evaluation of the Marxist perspective on social policy

Answer 12

• too deterministic, social democrats argue that some polices have genuinely improved the lives of the working class such as universal health care etc.

Question 13

What is the feminist perspective on social policy?

Answer 13

• conflict approach
• Feminists argue that social polices reinforce patriarchy by assuming and promoting traditional gender roles
• e.g. family policies often assume that the NF is the normal family > thus if the state assumes this & offers benefits to married couples and not cohabiting ones these may produce a SPF encouraging this family type
• Radical feminists such as Firestone > argue that the state perpetuates female oppression by failing to address issues such as domestic violence effectively > favour separatism

Question 14

Evaluation of the feminist perspective on social policy

Answer 14

• RF may be outdated> many policies today promote gender equality such as the equals pay act, shared parental leave etc.
• ignores how some policies may benefit women such as welfare ;provisions that support single mothers

Question 15

What is the new right view on social policy?

Answer 15

• believe the state should have minimal involvement in society
• state intervention in areas such as housing, education, income support etc. robs individuals of their freedom to make their own choices
• argue that welfare policies create dependency rather than solve social problems
• Murray claims that generous welfare benefits act as preserve incentives, encouraging a dependency culture where people rely on governments handouts rather than working
• linked this to the rise of an underclass of unemployed individuals & single mothers who he saw as contributing to this social decline > critical of many social polices
• role of sociology= highlight negative consequences of welfare dependency

Question 16

Evaluation of the New right perspective on social policy

Answer 16

• research contradicts many New Right claims e.g. critics argue that single parent families are not inherently dysfunctional & welfare spending does not necessarily create dependency
• blames individuals rather than addressing structural issues such as unemployment & wage inequality