Social policy
Encyclopedia
Social policy primarily refers to guidelines, principles, legislation and activities that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare
. Thus, social policy is that part of public policy
that has to do with social issues
. The Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy at Harvard University
describes it as "public policy and practice in the areas of health care, human services, criminal justice
, inequality
, education
, and labor." Social policy often deals with wicked problems.. Social Policy is defined as actions that affect the well-being of members of a society through shaping the distribution of and access to goods and resources in that society.
Social Policy is also distinct as an academic field which focuses on the systematic evaluation of societies' responses to social need.
of Islam in the 6th century. He used zakah collections and also other governmental resources to establish pensions, income support, child benefits, various stipends for people of the non-Muslim community.
In the West, proponents of scientific social planning, such as the sociologist Auguste Comte
, and social researchers, such as Charles Booth
, contributed to the emergence of social policy in the first industrialised countries
. Surveys of poverty that exposed the brutal conditions in the urban slum
conurbations of Victorian Britain pressured changes reform of the Poor Law and welfare reforms by the British Liberal Party. Other significant examples in the development of social policy are the Bismarckian welfare state in 19th century Germany
; social security policies introduced by the New Deal
in the United States
between 1933 and 1935, and health reforms
in the UK following the Beveridge Report
of 1942.
Social policy in the 21st century is complex and in each state it is subject to local
, national
and supranational political influence. For example, membership of the European Union is conditional to member states' adherence to the Social Chapter of European Union law.
, social security
, unemployment insurance, pensions, healthcare, social housing, social care, child protection, social exclusion
, education policy
, crime
and criminal justice
.
The term 'social policy' can also refer to policies which govern human behaviour. In the United States
, the term 'social policy' may be used to refer to abortion
and the regulation of its practice, euthanasia
, homosexuality
, the rules surrounding issues of marriage
, divorce
, adoption
, the legal status of recreational drugs, and the legal status of prostitution
.
studies. London School of Economics
professor Richard Titmuss
is considered to have established Social Policy (or Social Administration) as an academic subject and many universities offer the subject for undergraduate and postgraduate study.
Titmuss, R. M. (1951) Problems of social policy. HM Stationery Off. ISBN ?
Dean, H. (2006). Social Policy. Cambridge: Polity Press. ISBN 9780745634340.
Quality of life
The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
. Thus, social policy is that part of public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
that has to do with social issues
Social issues
Social issues are controversial issues which relate to people's personal lives and interactions. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues...
. The Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
describes it as "public policy and practice in the areas of health care, human services, criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
, inequality
Inequality
In mathematics, an inequality is a statement how the relative size or order of two objects, or about whether they are the same or not .*The notation a b means that a is greater than b....
, education
Education policy
Education policy refers to the collection of laws and rules that govern the operation of education systems.Education occurs in many forms for many purposes through many institutions. Examples include early childhood education, kindergarten through to 12th grade, two and four year colleges or...
, and labor." Social policy often deals with wicked problems.. Social Policy is defined as actions that affect the well-being of members of a society through shaping the distribution of and access to goods and resources in that society.
Social Policy is also distinct as an academic field which focuses on the systematic evaluation of societies' responses to social need.
History of social policy
The earliest example of direct intervention by government in human welfare dates back to Umar ibn al-Khattāb's rule as the second caliphCaliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
of Islam in the 6th century. He used zakah collections and also other governmental resources to establish pensions, income support, child benefits, various stipends for people of the non-Muslim community.
In the West, proponents of scientific social planning, such as the sociologist Auguste Comte
Auguste Comte
Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte , better known as Auguste Comte , was a French philosopher, a founder of the discipline of sociology and of the doctrine of positivism...
, and social researchers, such as Charles Booth
Charles Booth (philanthropist)
Charles Booth was an English philanthropist and social researcher. He is most famed for his innovative work on documenting working class life in London at the end of the 19th century, work that along with that of Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree influenced government intervention against poverty in the...
, contributed to the emergence of social policy in the first industrialised countries
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. Surveys of poverty that exposed the brutal conditions in the urban slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
conurbations of Victorian Britain pressured changes reform of the Poor Law and welfare reforms by the British Liberal Party. Other significant examples in the development of social policy are the Bismarckian welfare state in 19th century Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
; social security policies introduced by the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
between 1933 and 1935, and health reforms
National Health Service Act 1946
The National Health Service Act 1946 came into effect on 5 July 1948 and created the National Health Service in England and Wales. Though the title 'National Health Service' implies one health service for the United Kingdom, in reality a separate NHS was created for England and Wales accountable to...
in the UK following the Beveridge Report
Beveridge Report
The Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Social Insurance and Allied Services, known commonly as the Beveridge Report was an influential document in the founding of the Welfare State in the United Kingdom...
of 1942.
Social policy in the 21st century is complex and in each state it is subject to local
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
, national
Central government
A central government also known as a national government, union government and in federal states, the federal government, is the government at the level of the nation-state. The structure of central governments varies from institution to institution...
and supranational political influence. For example, membership of the European Union is conditional to member states' adherence to the Social Chapter of European Union law.
Types of social policy
Social policy aims to improve human welfare and to meet human needs for education, health, housing and social security. Important areas of social policy are the welfare stateWelfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
, social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
, unemployment insurance, pensions, healthcare, social housing, social care, child protection, social exclusion
Social exclusion
Social exclusion is a concept used in many parts of the world to characterise contemporary forms of social disadvantage. Dr. Lynn Todman, director of the Institute on Social Exclusion at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, suggests that social exclusion refers to processes in which...
, education policy
Education policy
Education policy refers to the collection of laws and rules that govern the operation of education systems.Education occurs in many forms for many purposes through many institutions. Examples include early childhood education, kindergarten through to 12th grade, two and four year colleges or...
, crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
and criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
.
The term 'social policy' can also refer to policies which govern human behaviour. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the term 'social policy' may be used to refer to abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and the regulation of its practice, euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
, homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, the rules surrounding issues of marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
, the legal status of recreational drugs, and the legal status of prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
.
In academia
Social Policy is also an academic discipline focusing on the systematic evaluation of societies' responses to social need. It was developed in the early-to-mid part of the 20th century as a complement to social workSocial work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
studies. London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
professor Richard Titmuss
Richard Titmuss
Richard Morris Titmuss was a pioneering British social researcher and teacher. He founded the academic discipline of Social Administration and held the founding chair in the subject at the London School of Economics.His books and articles of the 1950s helped to define the characteristics of...
is considered to have established Social Policy (or Social Administration) as an academic subject and many universities offer the subject for undergraduate and postgraduate study.
Further reading
Social Policy & AdministrationTitmuss, R. M. (1951) Problems of social policy. HM Stationery Off. ISBN ?
Dean, H. (2006). Social Policy. Cambridge: Polity Press. ISBN 9780745634340.