Download Sociology and Social Policy

Sociology and Social
Policy
What is social policy?
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Changes in the law, initiatives, plans by
central government to tackle social issues
and/or change society in some way
What is the role of the sociologist?
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Should sociologists be separate from social
policy makers – academic and objective?
Should their role be to help policy makers
make policy or should it be to criticise
existing policy and suggest alternatives?
Early Sociologists
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The founding fathers believed sociologists had an important
role to play in changing society – functionalists like Comte
and Durkheim saw the role of sociology as preserving social
order.
Alternatively Marx believed the role of the ‘philosopher’ was
to understand the world and to change it – Marx was
politically active in revolutionary politics. Research which
attempts to change or improve society is sometimes called
action research
What do you think sociological research should be used
for?
Influences on social policy today
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Social policy is clearly influenced by political ideology e.g.
Labour welfarism in the mid to late 20th was heavily
influenced by democratic socialism. Cameron’s recent pledge
to ‘strengthen families’ is clearly influenced by a New Right
agenda.
Social policy is also influenced by a growth in knowledge
sometimes provided by sociology. Rowntree’s research on
poverty helped to change attitudes about the causes of
poverty- from seeing the poor as lazy and feckless and the
main cause of their own poverty to understanding the
structural causes of poverty – low pay, sickness, education,
discrimination.
Sociology and New Labour
The influence of sociology over social policy at
its height under Tony Blair whose ‘guru’ was
a leading sociologist Anthony Giddens.
Blair’s ditching of Old Labour (socialism) and
adoption of the ‘Third Way’ was basically
Giddens’ idea.
What was the Third Way?
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1.
2.
3.
4.
“The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy” (A.
Giddens 1998)
Key points
Renew civil society – make citizens active – aware not just
of their rights but also of their duties and responsibilities
Government should promote renewal of civil society
through policy
Government should tackle social exclusion (detachment
from mainstream society by the underclass)
Government should introduce better public services (health
and education), fund better benefits, and provide
opportunities to rise out of poverty.
New Labour Policies

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Big push against poverty – minimum wage, working Families
Tax credit – a top up for low paid workers, big rises in Child
benefit, the Sure Start Programme which provided health and
support services for low income families with children under
4
Big push against unemployment – The New deal offered
education and training for young people aged 18-24 – also
funded advisors to help young people assess choices
‘Education, education, education’ massive increase in
education spending ‘Building Schools for the Futures’ Also
attempt to tackle educational disadvantage ‘Education Action
Zones’ and the Academies Programme
Citizenship – New Labour made the teaching of Citizenship
part of the National Curriculum with an emphasis on rights,
duties and responsibilities
Conclusion
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Whilst sociology can have a big influence on
social policy and social attitudes there are
many other influences
The influence of sociology was probably at its
height with the New Labour/Giddens
relationship
What are the main influences on the
current government’s social policies?