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Sociology A2: Unit 4
Theory and Methods:
Sociology and Social Policy
Essay Questions
1. Assess the relationship between Sociology
and Social Policy. (33m)
2. Sociology is not very useful in informing
social policy. Assess the sociological
arguments and evidence supporting this
claim. (33m)
Where have we come across Social
Policy in AS and A2?
Post-it note challenge?
Key Terms
Social
Policy
Social
Problem
Sociological
Problem
What is the difference between a
social policy and a social problem?
A government
initiative, central or
local, that aims to
meet the welfare
needs of the
population.
An area of concern in
society that causes
politicians, the media or
the general public to
think that something
need to be done.
Starter 1.
• Which of the following would you categorise
as social problems/issues and which as
sociological problems/issues?
• Are there any on the list that might belong in
both categories?
Improvements in
working-class
educational
achievement
Long hospital
waiting lists
Falling social
mobility rates
The effects of
unemployment
High levels of
public interest in
reality TV shows
Low wages
Low suicide rates
More married
women working
An increase in
knife crime
Child poverty
Insufficient
community care
for mental
patients
A spate of football
hooliganism
Key Words
• Social Policy: a government initiative, central or
local, that aims to meet the welfare needs of the
population.
• Social Problem: an area of concern in society that
causes politicians, the media or the general public to
think something needs to be done.
• Sociological Problem: “Any pattern of relationships
that calls for an explanation” Behaviour we want to
explain. Does not have to be problematic.
Mills (1970)
• Mills argued that sociology should not be
simply the accumulation of facts. Sociology
should explain social problems and suggest
policy solutions.
Making Links with Social Policy,
C. Wright Mills ‘private troubles and private issues’
Mills’ famous dictum holds that personal troubles are public problems.
What seem to be the private troubles of a single person are the result,
at the individual level, of the working out of the problems of the
society that person lives in. Being without a job is a terrible personal
trouble, but it is neither the result nor the fault of anything the
unemployed have done. Rather, it is the working out, for them, of
society's inability or unwillingness to provide full employment.
Identify a private trouble, it does not necessarily have to affect you.
Can you think of any solutions to any problems that you have listed
both at a personal, public or (social policy) level.
How does the bedroom tax work?
What is currently happening with sure start centres?
The role of sociology
Welcome back Giddens…..
Identifies ways sociology related to social
policy;
1. Can inform policy makers of viewpoints
other than their own (cultural difference)
2. Helps assess the results of policy
initiatives
3. Generates greater self-understanding
(lead to questioning government policy
and creation of protest groups.
http://napierpress.com/drugtakers-police-amplification-spiral
Giddens (1998, 2007)
• Giddens has been influential in policy making.
• His work on the third way politics was seen as
the manifesto for New Labour.
• His recent book, Over to You, Mr Brown,
outlines the current issues that need to be
addressed after Tony Blair.
• Giddens; theoretical ideas can therefore be
seen as setting the political agenda for policy
making.
Middleton et al (2005)
• Looked at pilot schemes to test policies which
could be introduced to increase participation
in education post 16.
• Initial research showed that EMA increased
participation by 6%. The EMA policy was
therefore set up as a National Policy in 2004.
Unintended consequences of social policy
ESRC ( Economic and Social Research Council)
funded research into schemes that tested which
policy could be introduced in order to increase
participation rates in post 16 education.
Initial research showed that EMA’s increased
participation rates by 6%. Concluding that if you pay
students rather than their parents they were more
likely to stay in school post 16.
The EMA was set up as a national policy in 2004
But……
Young people from first pilot were tracked over
several years.
The national impact of EMA were estimated as
3.8% increase in participation
Quantitative analysis did not detect significant
impact on EMA post 16 attainment but…
EMA had stronger impact on participation rates
for young men than for women.
The results
The study indicates the EMA fulfilled the policy
objective of increasing participation rates in post
16 education.
The unintended consequence was a greater
impact on males than females
Gregg et al (2007) at the Centre for
Social Exclusion
• They used a group of 6,000 children born in
and around Bristol in 1991 and 1992. The
research considered various categories of
development such as school performance, self
esteem and IQ.
• These areas were analysed in relation to
parental income and behaviours. Behaviours
included depression, the food eaten, reading
to children and their physical environment.
Gregg et al (2007) at the Centre for
Social Exclusion
• They found that by 7, children in w/c families were
doing worse in education, had low self esteem and were
at a greater risk of obesity.
• They also found that car ownership of m/c families
discouraged the participation of physical activity.
• Long hours in childcare for children aged 3 or 4
generated greater behavioural problems for affluent
families.
Gregg et al (2007) at the Centre
for Social Exclusion
• The research proposed that policy
interventions must recognise that the impact
of income operates in different ways.
• A multifaceted approach is needed in
policymaking.
Where does research take place?
• Politically aligned research institutes
• Think tanks and universities
• ESRC – researches into globalisation, climate
change, demographic change, religion and
identity and determinates of human welfare.
To develop understanding of the problems
society faces.
The influence of Sociology on
Policy depends on …
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Electoral popularity
Ideological Preference of the Government
Pressure groups
Globalisation – EU / IMF
Critical Sociology – too extreme?
Cost of Policy Recommendation
Think-Tanks
1. Sociology influences policy
Giddens third way new
labour policy
2. Sociology is not concerned
with policy
Durkheim and theoretical
sociology- religion
Government EMA’s
Middleton et al.
How does sociology influence policy?
3. Policy influences
sociology
Austerity measures
How does policy influence
sociology?
Some sociologists are not
concerned with policy.
4. Policy disregards
sociology
Prison works, penal populism
Despite significant research why
do policies disregard sociology.
Questions for discussion
1. Should the purpose of sociology be to solve social
problems?
2. Are sociologists and policy makers likely to agree on
what constitutes a social problem? (Think of examples
where particular sociologists and members of the
government might disagree).
3. Is there a risk that sociologists researching for
government organisations might lose their objectivity?
4. How much notice do policy makers take of sociological
findings? What constraints might there be on
implementing suggestions from sociologists?
Answers Number 1
• Many sociologists, particularly radical, conflict ones such as Marxists and
feminists, believe that a major purpose of their work is to bring about social
change through arousing awareness of inequalities. Anthony Giddens, who is a
government advisor on social policy, suggests that sociology can help to solve
social problems in a variety of ways. Sociologists collect facts and derive theories
about social situations such as poverty. They help us to understand and
empathise with the problems of marginalised groups by describing their cultures
and revealing stereotypes. Published work by sociologists may encourage people
such as women, gays and ethnic minorities to consider their experiences, roles
and self-images (reflexivity) so that they can take action to improve their lives.
Finally some sociologists are directly employed by government agencies to find
out data to help decide on new policies and to monitor their effects.
• On the other hand some sociology is motivated by the desire to expand human
knowledge and understanding or to challenge widespread beliefs rather than to
influence the organisation of social life. Phenomenologists are interested in the
social construction of phenomena such as suicide and religion and
postmodernists point out the impossibility of defining concepts such as crime.
Neither of these approaches is pragmatic enough to contribute significantly to
social policy.
Answers Number 2
• Sociologists taking a conflict view of society are unlikely to agree
with governments about how society needs to be changed.
Radical feminists, Marxists, and labelling theorists all view the
status quo as a source of major inequalities and the power of
dominant groups as a social problem. None of the major political
parties would be willing to make the major structural changes
urged by supporters of these perspectives, though they may
consider suggestions for more limited change, such as the left
realist recommendation for more consensus style policing.
• Liberal feminist recommendations about equal pay and antidiscrimination laws have been accepted because they are more
moderate, improving the lot of women without drastically
undermining the rights of men. New Right research into aspects
of crime such as situational crime prevention has been welcomed
as this reflects the establishment view that crime is a problem for
society, rather than the more radical view that it results from
inequalities.
Answers Number 3
• There is an argument that sociologists should try to stay
independent of government organisations, since by working for
them as paid researchers they could become ‘colonised’, losing
sight of their own values and perhaps selecting data in line with
what they know the government hopes they will find (the
imposition factor). Marxists and radical feminists view cooperation
with establishment policy makers as a betrayal of principles and
other researchers simply prefer to follow their own interests.
• A contrary view is that sociologists should contribute to social
policy making as otherwise the discipline loses much of its
relevance to real life, appearing to be simply a rarefied intellectual
pursuit. Sociologists have an ethical duty to try to improve society
and if they fail to inform policies, then poorer judgments will be
made or other social scientists, such as economists and
psychologists, will step into the breach with their own particular
biases. Moreover sociologists should be able to undertake research
while maintaining objectivity in their methods.
Answer Number 4
• Governments may be unwilling to accept and implement the
findings of sociologists for several reasons besides disagreeing
about what constitutes a problem. Radical solutions, such as
substituting community service for prison sentences for many
offences, are unpopular with the public even in the unlikely
event of politicians themselves accepting the need for drastic
change. The views of voters need to be taken into account if the
government hopes to be returned to office. Cost, time and
available workforce are all practical factors which needed to be
considered. Also there could be other priorities which can more
easily be achieved, resulting in delay in the implementation of a
challenging policy, which might be dropped anyway if there is a
change of government. In addition there could be conflicting
findings from different researchers making it difficult to be sure
that the policy proposed by one is likely to work.