Introduction To Social Policy Essay 1 6o4k36

Introduction to Social Policy Essay 1: Sources Alcock, P. May, N. and Rowlingson, K. (eds) (2008) The student’s Companion to Social Policy Chap 1   

Welfare pluralism – ‘the recognition that state provision is only one feature of a broader mixture of differing forms and levels of welfare service’ – p9 This shift in focus of social policy as going from the welfare state to the welfare mix ‘social forces, and hence social policies too, are dynamic. The legacy of the past will continue to structure the future; but change is always taking place.’ P9

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‘Alongside the market, and very often in response to its failures to provide either adequately waged work or adequately priced goods and services, NGOs developed.’ The term social welfare pertains to the spectrum of social arrangements in place to meet needs of individuals and groups, and to tackle social problems. Social policy implies government welfare, however, there are other sectors which play a major role in welfare provision – ‘welfare for most people is still provided through other social mechanisms than the state’ p27 Then goes onto articulate the different sectors – see book & paraphrase straight into essay doc. ‘Social policy as an area of study is concerned with the way all these institutions affect the welfare of individuals and groups’ – p27 The family is the original and ‘archetypal’ form of welfare aas well as being

Chapter 29 – glennerster 

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There is no ‘intrinsic’ reason why individuals cannot privately purchase welfare services, provided they have the money. However there are ‘basic characteristics of many human needs and the services that meet them that mean they are not well suited to individual purchases in the marketplace’ – p227 Three kinds of failure – market failure, information failure and behavioural failure and additionally a fourth – ‘capital market failure’ Savings bank concept – that we pool our resources throughout our working lives in order to pay for times when we need welfare, which are largely times when we are not able to work, eg childcare & pensions etc. Capital market failure is when the market fails to provide the necessary capital or loan to afford those provision who cannot afford it in that moment in time.

Hill, M. (2003) Understanding Social Policy (Seventh Edition)

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Social policy may be defined as policy activities which influence welfare. While non-state bodies may be described as having ‘policies’ , a generic expression like ‘social policy’ is primarily used to define the role of the state in relation to the welfare of its citizens.’ P1 Welfare & wellbeing are interchangeable words to most concerned with social policy Definition of Social Policy as broadly those of the state and other sectors in delivering welfare/wellbeing to citizens.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/citizenship/brave_new_world/welfare.htm (accessed 15/11/10) Fraser, D. (2003) The Evolution of the British Welfare State 

The Beveridge report, released in December 1942 (Fraser, 2003) rapidly became the blueprint for the modern British welfare state (nationalarchives.gov.uk) and was instrumental in inspiring Labour’s pioneering creation in a landslide victory in the first postwar election –a victory helped largely by their mandate to implement the recommendations of the report (ibid)

Chapter 10 – 265  

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“Welfare State became deeply embedded in the British political and social culture” -265 with both parties attempting to take credit for its successes (ibid). Was developed during a time of high employment – such ‘propitious circumstances’ (ibid) allowed the welfare state to develop “deep roots which would be both difficult and electorally dangerous to alter” (ibid:265). the mid-twentieth century Labour and Conservative governments were typified more by consensus than differences of approach. Although possessing differing outlooks and approaches, many of their policies had similar outcomes. The resignations of Prime Minister Howard Wilson (1951) and Chancellor Peter Thorneycroft (1958) “demonstrated that the welfare state could not be immune to the pressures of economic life” (ibid:266) However the Conservatives equally were not free to “disproportionately savage” (ibid:266) the welfare state in implementing their own policies. Indeed this period is characterised by the pragmatic nature in which both parties were limited in their independence to produce policies. Nicholas Timmins (quoted in Fraser, 2003:266) posits “In these circumstances and held within pragmatic grounds, the differences between parties need make no difference to the broad shape of welfare” The consensus of the mid twentieth century was important, yet ideological differences in some policy areas for instance, education and private housing were present yet in practice both parties governments “often ended up in similar positions” (ibid:266) Instinctively Conservatives favoured “individual provision and free market solutions and so the Welfare State became a compensation for the areas of economic and social life where

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the free market did not deliver” (ibid:266) MARKET FAILURE EXAMPLE –particuarly useful as it is the tories making the ittance that the free market cannot provide. Labour, whilst utilising a different approach, equally saw the importance – “it was a valuable instrument in delivering the wider social and political aspirations of Labour (ibid:267) – Ideological connotations “Even where an ideological welfare had not existed a practical welfare consensus certainly developed” (ibid:267 “both *parties+ found it necessary to critically review welfare policy in times of economic crisis” (ibid:267) A “relentless growth in social welfare expenditure” (ibid:268) from the 1940s to the 1970s saw welfare expenditure grow faster than national economic growth Coupled to this, life expectations increased serving to heighten the economic burden via increased pensions expenditure “Demographic imperatives could thus be a powerful cause of increased welfare expenditure” (ibid:268) Technological advances in medicine such as service-led improvements “led to ministers of spending departments to bid for increased funds so that their favoured policy objective could be delivered” -269 This intimates how pressures born of the political structure caused economic pressures in the Welfare State. One could stipulate that a reflexive interactional relationship exists between different influential factors on policymaking – economic factors undoubtedly influence policy, yet political even ideological factors could have knock-on effects on the economy and thus affect the policy approach once more. If political influences on policy affected economic productivity negatively, it follows that future policymaking would be undertaken with a more economically austere approach. Indeed, the current government has argued that the previous Labour governments overextension of funding is the root cause of their austerity measures. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jun/07/david-cameron-debt-interest-deficit)

Thatcherism and the welfare state in crisis 1979-1997         

This period saw the welfare state come in for criticism on both sides. Criticism largely concerned with the dependency factor – that welfare itself undermined the will to work and led to unemployed de-motivated to find work The welfare services such as the NHS developed a producer culture Received criticism from the left for not being flexible enough to adapt to evolving patterns of social behavoir (ibid:282) Thatchers election led to a change in thinking about the role of the state – by reigning in its role and massively reducing public expenditure. Thatcher was guilty of a “bold and radical agenda” (ibid:283) “Unprecedently, this government used the level of unemployment as an economic tool to contain inflation” (ibid:283) Unemployment tripled from 3% to 12% in the winter of 1982/3 The conservatives policies of this period demonstrated a “fundamental shift in policy.. they were proposing quite deliberately to increase unemployment

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/oct/11/equality-report-race-britain-launch Article on the inqualities of Britain – work out how i can integrate this into the paper

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/08/housing-benefit-north-south-divide http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/carmarthen-journal/mi_8090/is_20100922/welfare-cuts1930s/ai_n55328603/

article

Powell, M. (eds) (2007) Understanding the mixed economy of welfare. Chapter 1 – The mixed economy of welfare and the social division of welfare – Powell, M. 

Mixed economy or welfare pluralism mean the same thing

Best, J. (

Baldock et al Social Policy (eds) Chapter 2 The Politics of Welfare, Manning, N     

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Social Policy is irremovably enmeshed with governments and politics ‘Political party manifestos routinely include substantial proposals for changes in social policies’ – 29 Case study 2.1 (box on page 30) ‘The outcomes of Clinton’s and Thatcher’s attempts at healthcare reform were determined by politics, rather than rational planning’ – 30 ‘financial resources or lack of them are a pre-eminent constraint on government action’ – 31 Another constraint on policy is the legal structure within the respective nation. For example, in Britain of Charter 88 argue the case for a written constitution, as it could theoretically offer safeguards to citizens against welfare injustices. On the other hand, in the US, ‘the varied interpretation of constitutional amendments ... has in any case often undermined their original intentions’ – 32 ‘The rules of government enshrined in constitutions are not therefore independent of interpretation , and cannot themselves guarantee particular outcomes’ – 32 Julian Le Grand’s eminent classification of the mechanisms of state social policy into Direct provision, financial (as advocated by Friedman) and regulation)

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Governments are not the only source of welfare provision and services, however they remain tremendously important, particularly when considering the political influences on social policy. Private market, the voluntary sector and social movement sector, and informal networks ‘are significant shapers and providers of welfare.’ – 35 New social problems are infrequently the reason for changes in social policy. ‘The ideas that sustain political parties are frequently developed through pressure groups and think tanks who take in the task of thinking the unthinkable as far as policies are concerned.’ For example previous conservative governments have consulted the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) as well as the Adam Smith Institute, whereas the former Labour government drew on the Fabian Society amongst others. – 41

Chap 5 – Social need and patterns of inequality   

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“Arguably, the recognition and satisfaction of need distinguishes the welfare function of the state from its other roles and activities” – 111 “The definition of social need is crucial to social policy, and the lack of consensus about which needs should take priority lies at the conceptual heart of welfare.” -111 elucidating the character of social need has real, practical significance – “Access to resources and the distribution of these resources are often heavily dependent upon notions of need” – 111 One of the most significant forms of inequality in the UK is in of income distribution There can be no straightforward connections made involving facts about need and the respective social policies to address them. P129

Blakemore & Griggs – Social Policy an introduction chapter 5 The policy dilemmas or choices that lace governments in deciding 'who gets what' can be summarized in two ways. First, there are choices to be made about distribution and possibly about redistribution of services, resources and money. And secondly there are choices to be made about funding the welfare system and deciding who will contribute and how much they will pay. - 78

History of welfare Our welfare system is commonly referred to as the Welfare State, a vestige of the massive significance its introduction carried. The Beveridge report, released in December 1942 (Fraser, 2003) rapidly became the blueprint for the modern British welfare state (nationalarchives.gov.uk) and was instrumental in inspiring Labour’s pioneering creation in a landslide victory in the first post-war election. A victory helped largely by their mandate to implement the recommendations of the report (ibid). Beveridge’s ‘five giants’ The Welfare State could be said to operate like a ‘savings bank’ – much of its services are required by those who cannot afford it at that moment in time, such as healthcare for the elderly and education *for the young. Effectively, we pool our resources throughout our working lives in order to pay for times when we need welfare, which are largely times when we are not able to work (Glennerster, 2008).