Sociology and social policy

Sociology and Science Value freedom The link between Sociological theory and methods ????

Learning outcomes Can distinguish between the following and explain how they are linked – Sociology Social Policy Social problems Sociological problems Explain the contribution which sociology can and has made to Social Policy Identify which theories are critical of the link between sociology and social policy and which are positive of the link.

Key terms Social problem whatever is necessary for the well being of people and their full participation in society i.e. food, clothing, shelter, education, health and work Sociological problem Something that is seen as being in some way harmful to society, causing public friction and / or private misery and which needs some collective action to solve it. Social policy Any social or theoretical issue that needs explaining, whether it is a social problem or not. Social needs government actions/plans to deal with specific social issues/problems/needs of society There are instances where sociologists disagree on what social problems are…can you think of an example? Can you give an example of a sociological problem that isn’t a social problem? Should all sociologists be committed to addressing social problems

The influence of social policy on sociology Sociologists spend time studying the effects of government policies such as education, welfare health and crime e.g. the affect of CCTV on crime. What impact do these organisations have on sociologists and their research? Most government funding for sociology is distributed through the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) – most likely to provide funding for research into the impact of government policies. The effectiveness of government policies is measured through the REF (Research Excellence Framework) – sociologists who wish to be successful often go down this route. Since sociology studies the changing social world, it is bound to be influenced by changes in the social world it studies, which in turn are influenced by social policies that help to change the world.

The influence of sociology on Social policy (some of these ideas are put forward by Giddens)

Sociological perspectives and social policy Theory view on social policy criticisms Functionalism Positivism Neo-liberalism and New Right Social Democratic perspectives Critical Social Science Feminism You don’t need to necessarily complete this as above. You could just cut and stick the theory bit (first column) from the handout and then write the answers to the questions in the other two columns underneath.

Rapid recall A social problem is …. A sociological problem is… A social policy is…. Harder Are all social problems sociological problems? Are all sociological problems social problems? Explain the above.

Learning outcomes Can distinguish between the following and explain how they are linked – Sociology Social Policy Social problems Sociological problems Explain the contribution which sociology can and has made to Social Policy and the contribution that social policy has made to sociology Identify which theories are critical of the link between sociology and social policy and which are positive of the link.

Explain the contribution which sociology can and has made to Social Policy and the contribution that social policy has made to sociology The contribution sociology has made to social policy The contribution social policy has made to sociology 1. Providing an awareness of cultural differences and of others. 2. Providing self awareness and understanding 3. Changing assumptions 4. Providing a theoretical framework 5. Providing practical professional knowledge 6. Identifying social problems 7. Providing the evidence 8. Identifying the unintended consequences of policies 9. Assessing the results Funding ESRC REF Which has the biggest influence on the other? As – argue for sociology and Bs- argue for social policy

Hope and Walters 2008 Research topic Methodology Key findings Analysis and evaluation

Critical / Marxist Functionalist Neo-liberalism Social Democratic Feminism

view on social policy A+E As these are political viewpoints they are inherently bias in terms of what kind of policies they think should be promoted. For example the New Right emerged in the 80s and believed in traditional conservative values so promoted policies which encouraged this. Neo-liberalism is a more recent term and centred on economic ideas about free market capitalism being the best driver for social change. Both actively promote policies which influence policy e.g. The Centre for Policy Studies. These theories had a huge impact on social policy in GB in the 1980s e.g. benefit caps and means testing also Wilson and Kelling – Zero tolerance policing (broken windows) With groups such as momentum gaining influence in politics maybe Marxism / critical soc will have more influence on social policies. Theressa May’s speech last week – socially liberal- maybe due to rise of the critical sociological position? Believe that existing social policies exist to serves the interests of the powerful and that social policies should be changed with sociology helping to bring this about. Very critical of policies which seem to promote equality e.g. the welfare state according to Marxists = fit and healthy workers – at best a token concession. Marxism has had little influence directly – more influential in appealing to left of centres politicians e.g. Jeremy Corbyn. However as a theory – bad time since fall of the USSR. Radicals argue that liberals haven’t tried to change the fundamentally patriarchal nature of society. However, recent research suggests that it is happening e.g. LSE research into housework (see WPW) Although this too is often seen as a political viewpoint, it has sociological influences too. It is the approach followed in many scandanavian counties e.g. the Swedish Model. Has an emphasis on controlling capitalism so that equality isn’t forsaken. It influenced policy in Britain straight after the war and then again the labour govts of the 60s-70s e.g. equal pay act, but was combined with right wing thinking under Blair in the 90s in what he called the third way. Can use any New Labour WPW policies to back this up e.g. sure start , national minimum wage, marketization Some critics say that the third way is just a watered down version of neoliberalism. Critical sociologists say the third way is wrong as it still promotes capitalism in its policies. Also –could argue that this is just a political ideology. The theory aims to provide objective explanations and therefore you wouldn’t expect it to carry policy implications. However, Durkheim believed that maintaining solidarity was desirable and therefore promoting policies which aimed to do this was good. As functionalism has lost its influence in recent decades it has little influence on social policy today. Positivism favours quantitative data e.g. statistics – most govt funded research produces a range of statistical data. however, positivists don’t aim to say what kind of policies should be followed. Most academic sociologists are liberal – new right and neoliberalism are arguably political ideologies not sociological ones. Some are linked with critical sociology e.g. radical. Have had some influence in promoting issues e.g. highlighting domestic violence, but been less influential in promoting their own solutions e.g. female supremacy. Liberal feminism promotes gradual policy changes and so has been more influential in social policy e.g. the equal pay act. Even though the positivist approach has provided information for social policy it doesn’t promote a set approach with social policy so isn’t that influential.

view on social policy A+E NEO LIB -As these are political viewpoints they are inherently bias in terms of what kind of policies they think should be promoted. For example the New Right emerged in the 80s and believed in traditional conservative values so promoted policies which encouraged this. Neo-liberalism is a more recent term and centred on economic ideas about free market capitalism being the best driver for social change. Both actively promote policies which influence policy e.g. The Centre for Policy Studies. These theories had a huge impact on social policy in GB in the 1980s e.g. benefit caps and means testing also Wilson and Kelling – Zero tolerance policing (broken windows) Most academic sociologists are liberal – new right and neoliberalism are arguably political ideologies not sociological ones. CRIT/MARXIST Believe that existing social policies exist to serves the interests of the powerful and that social policies should be changed with sociology helping to bring this about. Very critical of policies which seem to promote equality e.g. the welfare state according to Marxists = fit and healthy workers – at best a token concession. Marxism has had little influence directly – more influential in appealing to left of centres politicians e.g. Jeremy Corbyn. However as a theory – bad time since fall of the USSR. With groups such as momentum gaining influence in politics maybe Marxism / critical soc will have more influence on social policies. Theressa May’s speech last week – socially liberal- maybe due to rise of the critical sociological position? SOC DEM- Although this too is often seen as a political viewpoint, it has sociological influences too. It is the approach followed in many scandanavian counties e.g. the Swedish Model. Has an emphasis on controlling capitalism so that equality isn’t forsaken. It influenced policy in Britain straight after the war and then again the labour govts of the 60s-70s e.g. equal pay act, but was combined with right wing thinking under Blair in the 90s in what he called the third way. Can use any New Labour WPW policies to back this up e.g. sure start , national minimum wage, marketization Some critics say that the third way is just a watered down version of neoliberalism. Critical sociologists say the third way is wrong as it still promotes capitalism in its policies. Also –could argue that this is just a political ideology. FUNCTIONALISM The theory aims to provide objective explanations and therefore you wouldn’t expect it to carry policy implications. However, Durkheim believed that maintaining solidarity was desirable and therefore promoting policies which aimed to do this was good. As functionalism has lost its influence in recent decades it has little influence on social policy today. Positivism favours quantitative data e.g. statistics – most govt funded research produces a range of statistical data. however, positivists don’t aim to say what kind of policies should be followed. Even though the positivist approach has provided information for social policy it doesn’t promote a set approach with social policy so isn’t that influential. FEM Some are linked with critical sociology e.g. radical. Have had some influence in promoting issues e.g. highlighting domestic violence, but been less influential in promoting their own solutions e.g. female supremacy. Liberal feminism promotes gradual policy changes and so has been more influential in social policy e.g. the equal pay act. Radicals argue that liberals haven’t tried to change the fundamentally patriarchal nature of society. However, recent research suggests that it is happening e.g. LSE research into housework (see WPW)

Learning outcomes Can distinguish between the following and explain how they are linked – Sociology Social Policy Social problems Sociological problems Explain the contribution which sociology can and has made to Social Policy and the contribution that social policy has made to sociology Identify which theories are critical of the link between sociology and social policy and which are positive of the link.

Sociology and social policy The Third Way Neoliberalism The New Right Social policy Social democratic Feminism The Swedish Model Functionalism Radical v liberal feminism Political ideology Sociology affecting social policy Social policy affecting sociology ESCR REF Glasgow youth courts c/study Social problem Sociological problem

Applying material from Item C and your knowledge, evaluate the contribution of sociology to social policy(20) Item C According to Giddens and others Sociology can provided some uses for Social policy, however, others argue that the link between Sociology and Social Policy is one way with Social Policy dictating what is included and sometimes excluded from research. On the other hand there is evidence that Sociological movements have helped to bring about positive changes in society.