Transcript Social policy is..

 The actions of governments that have ‘a direct impact
on the welfare of the citizens, by providing them with
services or income’
 Social problems –
 a piece of social behaviour that causes public friction/
private misery and call for collective action to solve it
 Eg
 Poverty, educational under attainment, juvenile
delinquency
 Sociological problems –
 ‘any pattern of relationship that calls for collective
action’
 Any behaviour we wish to make sense of
 Can be a social problem but can also be ‘normal’
behaviour
 eg why do people obey the law or queue?
 No guarantee policy makers (government) will listen
 Factors effecting influence
 Electoral popularity
 Values of party in government
 Interest groups
 Globalisation
 Critical sociology
 Cost
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Postivism & functionalism
The social democratic perspective
Marxism
Feminism
The New Right
 Read & make notes on the section of your handout
that corresponds with your number
 Verbally explain the text to the rest of your group
 3 minutes each
 1 Key point from your text
 Take a scientific approach, see the state as serving
society as a whole which makes it perform effectively
 Sociologists should provide the state with objective
scientific information from which the state can base its
policies
 By suggesting equal opportunities policies they aim to
create equality by redistributing from the rich to the
poor
 Black report – class inequality
 Peter Townsend – social problems recommended more
public spending on education & health care
 See society as divided into 2 opposite classes
 The ruling class exploit the working class
 Only the interests of capitalism are served by social
policy
 Society is patriarchal, social policies encourage
women’s subordination.
 Feminists have had some impact on social policy eg –
learning materials promoting positive images of
females
 Overall few feminists favour social reformism many
call for a revolution
 Liberal feminist have a ‘march of progress view’ – that
social policy has helped women achieve greater
freedom.
 The state should have minimal involvement in society
 Social problems cannot be tackled through state
provision of welfare
 State intervention robs people from their freedom to
make their own decisions, and encourages dependency
on the welfare state.
Use the question stems on your handout to write down 1
question & the answer from each of the areas you did
not read through.
 Assess the relationship between sociology & social
policy (33 marks)
 Use the examiners advice on page 281 to complete this
essay
 Try reading your notes then complete it under timed
conditions (45 mins)