perspectives on social policy

• positivism/functionalism

  eg. comte + durkheim - as part of the enlightenment project view sociology as able to identify and fix all social problems through policy and legislation

  • society is based on value consensus so see the state as serving the interests of society as a whole, so introduce policies to benefit society
  • equates sociology to medical research as the researcher can determine and solve social problems
  • favour a cautious approach that tackles one specific problem at a time
• criticisms of positivism/functionalism

  • marxism - social problems are part of larger issues that can't be tackled one specific problem at a time
• social democrat

  the social democrat perspective favours a major distribution of wealth from the rich to the poor

  • townsend - sociologists should be involved in researching to eradicate social problems through policy recommendations
  • eg. black report - made 37 far-reaching policy recommendations that solved deep-rooted issues like free school meals and improved working conditions, but the thatcher government in power when it was completed refused to put the recommendations in place
• criticisms of social democrat

  • marxism - class-based inequalities are so far-reaching that even the policies suggested in the black report are insufficient to solve them
  • the capitalist governments are also unlikely to implement the policies suggested so it is ultimately useless
  • postmodernism - it is impossible to discover ultimate truths so sociological findings can't be used as an objective basis for policies
• marxism

  the state represents the ruling class and serves the interests of capitalism through

  • policies provide ideological legitimisation to mask capitalist exploitation
  • maintains the labour force for further exploitation
  • prevent revolution

  social policies sometimes provide benefits to the working class, but these gains are constantly threatened by capitalism's regular recessions that lead to welfare cuts
• marxism and research

  research into the unpleasant truths of social problems rooted in capitalism won't be used to solve problems as the policymakers are ultimately there to protect the system the research aims to expose

  • eg. the black report recommendations being rejected by the thatcher government
  • for marxists the sociologist's role is to criticise social policy rather than offer recommendations
• criticisms of marxism

  • social democrats - pessimistic view that ignores the positive effects sociologists can have on policy
• feminism

  the state is fuelled by patriarchy and perpetuates women's subordination through social policy

  • eg. nuclear family policies
  • feminist policies have impacted society eg. training teachers to avoid gender bias, and often reflect the liberal feminist view
  • radical feminist views have also impacted society eg. refuges for women escaping domestic abuse
  • however marxist and radical feminists suggest that the far-reaching change needed to demolish patriarchy isn't achievable through policy
• the new right

  the state should have minimal influence over society, in particular they should offer no support through welfare

  • murray - benefits offer an incentive for people to be dependent on the state and create dysfunctional family structures
  • are highly critical of many existing policies, but are accepting in theory of social policy, which they suggest should restore individual responsibility
  • eg. breakdown britain suggested new social policies aimed at the family that emphasised parental responsibility
• influence of the new right

  new right thinking has had specific influence over social policy due to the attractiveness of their ideas to the conservative party

  • some labour policies have also shown the influence of new right views eg. the view that a married heterosexual couple are the best people to raise children
  • also support the zero tolerance crime policies that have been popular since thatcher thanks to wilson + kelling's article broken windows
  • however the research used has been questioned eg. the validity of the link between lone-mother families and criminality