Sociology and Social Policy Flashcards
What are two ways that sociology and social policy are linked?
- policy makers use sociology to justify certain policies
- sociological research can influence social policy by informing policy markers of viewpoints/ issues other than their own
- can assess the results of social policy
- can find larger patterns and trends of issues
- uncover and expose latent problems in society
Why is the relationship between sociology and social policy not that simple?
- other influences eg. governments only like to take note of research supporting their views (ie. if they share ideological standpoint) and likely to win votes
- government may have insufficient funds to implement new policy/ might be impractical
- politicians are unlikely to implement a policy that opposes them
- policy makers might hire sociologists who share assumptions and political values - used as justification for a policy that was always going to be implemented
- to some extend, governments influence sociological research because they decide on funding priorities for research
Do all sociologists believe sociology should just be the accumulation of facts?
- no, it should have a distinct purpose to investigate social problems and suggest policy solutions
Give an example of how feminist sociologists have influenced social policy
- Feminist campaigns leading to changes in education and attitudes towards domestic violence
Give an example of how right realist sociologists have influenced social policy
- led to the introduction of ASBOs due to their attitude in response to Wilson and Kelling’s Broken Windows that environment should be prevented from deterioration
How did Middleton et al influence social policy?
- researched into deprivation and led to introduction of Educational Maintenance Allowance
Who might sociologists be employed by?
- Home Office
- Department for Education
Which goverment was hostile to sociologists and which was more embracing?
- Conservative were more hostile (ie. lot of sociologists are left wing)
- Labour embraced them
What are the different sociological views on social policy?
- positivism and functionalism
- social democratic
- marxism
- feminism
- new right
Positivists, functionalists, social democrats, Marxists and feminists all believe the sociologist has a key role to play in social policy. What are they?
- P/F: should aim to improve society by investigating causes and suggesting solutions, should provide objective, scientific information
- SD: sociologists should research and find solutions
- Marxists: sociologists should criticise capitalist policy as their research will never be used by the capitalist state
- F: their research should criticise social policy that perpetuates female subordination
How does the new right differ from P/F, Marxists and F?
- believes the state should have minimal involvement in people’s lives and instead should aid people to help themselves, intervention is actually the cause of some social problems
How does the P/F view differ from that of M and F?
- believes that the state serves the interests of society as a whole, and implements rational social policies
- M and F believe the state perpetuates inequalities and is not beneficial for all of society
Does everyone believe in the same piecemeal social engineering cautious approach, handling one issue at a time, as F/P?
- no
- SD believe in a radical redistribution of wealth
- Marxists believe that even the most ambitious policies are not enough (go even further than SD)
How can the M view be criticised?
- undermines any progress that has been made by saying that the state merely provides ideological legitimation, maintains the labour force and prevents revolution
- assumes that little can be done until a whole new social system is established
How can the F view be criticised?
- more extreme changes are required than reformist social policy, perhaps not even the state can achieve
