Sociology & Social Policy (AQA A Level Sociology): Revision Note

Social policy

• Social policy can be defined as:

A government strategy to tackle social issues such as poverty, unemployment, child abuse, domestic violence, and homelessness

• Examples of social policies include

  • education reforms

  • welfare policies

  • health and housing initiatives

  • laws on crime and justice

• Policies are usually based on research evidence, political ideology, and practical concerns

• Sociology plays a role in studying how policies affect society and sometimes provides evidence to guide new policies

Social problems and sociological problems

• Worsley (1977) provides a clear distinction between social problems and sociological problems

Social problems

• Issues in society that cause personal troubles or public conflict

  • E.g., poverty, domestic violence, educational failure, and crime

• Governments often commission sociologists to research these issues and design solutions

Sociological problems

• Any pattern or behaviour in society that sociologists want to study, whether or not it is seen as a 'problem', e.g.,

  • why people follow religion

  • why working-class children underachieve

  • why some groups commit more crime than others

• Researchers aim to increase our understanding of society, not always to solve problems through policy

The influence of sociology on policy

• Sociologists may research social problems, but this doesn’t mean their findings will shape government action

• The impact of sociological research depends on several factors:

  • Electoral popularity

  • Ideological and political bias

  • Interest groups

  • Globalisation

  • Critical sociology

  • Cost of implementation

  • Funding

Electoral popularity

• Politicians are more likely to adopt policies that win votes

• Research findings that suggest 'unpopular' solutions may be ignored

  • E.g., higher taxes on the wealthy might reduce inequality, but could lose votes

Ideological and political bias

• Governments tend to favour research that fits their political values and ideology

  • E.g., a Conservative government is more likely to use New Right research (such as Murray on welfare dependency) than Marxist research that blames inequality on capitalism

Interest groups

• Powerful groups (e.g., businesses, media) can pressure governments to reject or adopt certain policies

  • E.g., persuading the government not to raise the minimum wage, even though it may reduce poverty

Globalisation

• International organisations (e.g., the EU, UN, IMF, and World Bank) influence national policies, sometimes more than domestic sociologists

• Governments may follow their advice or requirements, regardless of local sociological research

Critical sociology

• Governments are less likely to use research from perspectives that challenge the status quo, such as Marxism or radical feminism

• Such research may be seen as too 'ideological' or threatening to power

Cost of implementation

• Even if research suggests effective policies, governments may reject them as too expensive or impractical

  • E.g., expanding welfare provision or education reform often requires heavy investment

Funding and policymakers

• The source of funding can shape what kind of research is done and whether findings are taken seriously

• Research commissioned by government departments may be more likely to influence policy than independent critical research

Perspectives on social policy and sociology

• Some sociological perspectives argue that social policies should improve opportunity, equality and justice, particularly for poorer sections of society

• They believe that more social policy is required in the form of spending on education and investment in inner-city areas to create jobs

• Others, e.g., the New Right, believe that government interference in people's lives should be kept to a minimum

Positivism and functionalism

• Positivism and functionalism see sociology as a science that should provide objective solutions to social problems

• Functionalists argue that policies help society run smoothly by fixing dysfunctions

  • E.g., Durkheim supported education as a way to promote social solidarity

• Functionalists prefer social policy that brings about gradual social change that promotes consensus and social integration rather than radical transformation

  • E.g., the 1944 Butler Education Act was a gradual reform aimed at extending opportunity and social mobility

• However, this view can be argued to be too optimistic as it ignores inequality and power interests

Social democratic perspective

• Sociology should highlight inequalities and provide evidence for reform

• Social democrats advocate social policy that aids the redistribution of wealth to reduce poverty and promote fairness

  • E.g., the Black Report (1980) highlighted class inequalities in health and recommended reforms via welfare spending

• However, Marxists argue that such policies only 'patch up' capitalism, tackling symptoms, not causes

Marxism

• Marxists see society as divided by class conflict

• Social policy is shaped by the capitalist nature of the state and mainly benefits the ruling class, not the working class

• Policies may give the illusion of helping workers, but they maintain exploitation and prevent revolution

  • E.g., welfare benefits keep workers healthy enough to work, but don’t remove inequality

• However, critics argue that this view is too deterministic and ignores policies that have genuinely improved working-class lives

Feminism

• Policies can promote equality of opportunities for women

  • E.g., liberal feminists advocate social policies on equal pay, anti-discrimination, and domestic violence support

• Radical feminists see some policies as reflecting patriarchy and reinforcing gender roles

  • E.g., tax and benefit systems assume women are dependent on men

• However, critics argue that the feminist view generalises all women's experiences and ignores progress made

Left realism

• Sociology should directly inform policy, especially on crime

• Left realists believe that crime can only be reduced by social policies that tackle deprivation, poverty and inequality

  • E.g., practical reforms like community policing to reduce crime and fear of crime

• However, this perspective can be criticised for being too reformist – it doesn't challenge deeper inequalities

The New Right

• The New Right advocate minimal state intervention

• Sociology should criticise policies that create welfare dependency and undermine personal responsibility

• The New Right supports policies that encourage self-reliance and strong families and punish deviance

  • E.g., Charles Murray (1984) argued that welfare benefits create an 'underclass' dependent on the state

• However, this view is seen as blaming the poor for inequality and ignoring the structural causes of problems