Social Policy: An Introduction PDF
Preview Social Policy: An Introduction
SOCIAL POLICY Third Edition SOCIAL POLICY AN INTRODUCTION Third Edition Ken Blakemore and Edwin Griggs Open University Press Open University Press McGraw-Hill Education McGraw-Hill House Shoppenhangers Road Maidenhead Berkshire England SL6 2QL email: [email protected] world wideweb: www.openup.co.uk and TwoPennPlaza, New York,NY10121–2289,USA Firstpublished 2007 Copyright #KenBlakemore andEdwinGriggs 2007 Allrightsreserved.Exceptforthequotationofshortpassagesforthepurposesofcriticismand review, no partof thispublicationmay be reproduced, stored ina retrieval system,or transmitted, in anyformorbyany means,electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, withoutthe prior permission ofthe publisher ora licence fromtheCopyright Licensing Agency Limited. Details ofsuchlicences (forreprographic reproduction) may be obtainedfromtheCopyrightLicensingAgencyLtdof90TottenhamCourtRoad,London,W1T 4LP. A cataloguerecord of thisbookisavailablefrom theBritish Library ISBN 10:0335218 741 ISBN 13:978 0335218745 Library of CongressCataloguing-in-Publication Data CIP dataappliedfor Typeset byYHT Ltd,London Printed inPoland byOZGraf. S.A. www.polskabook.pl To the Coventry Lanchester Polytechnic – one of the best of its kind Contents Theauthors xiii Preface xv Acknowledgements xvii 1 THE SUBJECT OF SOCIALPOLICY 1 Social policy: anidentityproblem? 1 Socialpolicy and other subjects 2 Thestory of social policy 5 Earlyroots: social work, sociology and socialadministration 5 Coming ofage: thewelfare stateand social administration 8 Crisisand change: thedevelopment ofsocial policy as asubject 9 Conclusions: thesubject today 10 Plan ofthebook 12 Key termsandconcepts 14 Suggestions forfurther reading 14 2 IDEASAND CONCEPTS INSOCIAL POLICY 15 Introduction 15 Equality, equity andjustice 18 Equalityand politics 18 Justifying policies for equal ity 20 Egalitarianism 20 Equity 23 Equality ofopportunity 24 Need 26 Needs, wantsand satisfaction 29 Sen’stheory: ‘commodities’,‘capabilities’ and ‘functionings’ 31 Freedom and rights 32 Citizenship 35 Conclusions 37 Key termsandconcepts 38 Suggestions forfurther reading 39 3 THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL POLICYINBRITAIN 40 Introduction 40 Example 1:from workhouse to workfare? 41 viii CONTENTS Example 2:public healthreform 41 Example 3:education, theroles ofcentral and localgovernment andthe conceptof the‘contract state’ 46 Thedevelopment of a‘contract state’ ineducation 47 Thedevelopment of a welfarestate 49 Beveridge: theman and theplan 49 Conclusions: Britain’s welfarehistoryin comparative context 53 Keyterms andconcepts 56 Suggestions forfurther reading 57 4 THECONTESTEDBOUNDARIESOFSOCIALPOLICY:THECASEOF CRIMINALJUSTICE 59 Introduction: whatiscriminal justicepolicy? 59 Criminal justice, social controlandsocial policy: a ‘penal–welfare state’? 60 Comparingcrime and criminal justice 63 Criminal justice policyin theNetherlands 65 Measuring crime 67 Thecriminal justice process 69 Equality and discrimination 71 Thecontemporary politics of law andorder 72 New Labour and criminaljustice 73 An assessment 75 Conclusion 76 Keyterms andconcepts 77 Suggestions forfurther reading 77 5 WHOGETSWHAT? SLICING THE WELFARECAKE 78 Introduction: whatarethe benefits of thewelfaresystem? 78 Shouldbenefits andservices be selective or universal? 80 Gainers andlosers: indivi duals andgroups 82 Contributions: taxation 83 Contributions: care 86 Keeping a perspective on theindividual 86 Howlarge isthewelfare cake? 87 Social security: whobenefits? 89 Non-contributory benefits 90 Tax credits 90 Contributory benefits 91 Who benefits? 91 Povertyand social exclusion 95 Poverty and inequality 96 Relative and absolute poverty 98 Social exclusion 102 Conclusions 104 Perception of necessities 107 CONTENTS ix Key termsandconcepts 108 Suggestions forfurther reading 108 6 SOCIAL POLICY, POLITICSAND SOCIAL CONTROL 110 Introduction: social control andtherise ofwelfare 110 Socialpolicy and regulation 113 Toomuch control –or not enough? 114 Social policyand thepolitical order 115 Socialwelfare and political control inhistorical perspective 115 Twentieth-century Britain: social welfare in thepolitical order 116 Britain and other examples 118 Social control andindividual freedom 119 Socialwelfare and coercion 120 Socialpolicies andindirect control: theexamples ofage andother social divisions 122 Conclusions: cansocial policies bringbenign control? 127 Key termsandconcepts 130 Suggestions forfurther reading 130 7 WHOMAKES POLICY? THE EXAMPLE OFEDUCATION 132 Introduction: power anddemocracy 132 Government and state 134 Models of power– understanding how decisions aremade 135 Thedemocratic pluralistmodel 135 Theelitecontrol model 137 Thepolitical economymodel 137 Thebackground: education andConservative policies ofthe 1980s and 1990s 138 The1988 Education Act 140 Thelessons ofthe1988 education reforms: howpolicy wasmade 141 Implementing theConservative reforms 144 Centralizing control: Labourand education policy 145 City academies 147 Restructuring secondaryeducation: radical reformor piecemeal change? 149 Policies forthe future? 153 Conclusions 154 Key termsandconcepts 158 Suggestions forfurther reading 159 8 WORK ANDWELFARE 160 Introduction 160 Work:anobject ofsocial and economic policy 161 Does workequal welfare? 162 Employment policy options 164 x CONTENTS Thecontext:workand unemployment in theUK 165 Thestory of unemployment 168 Currentemployment policy 170 TheNew Deal 171 Other policies – thewelfare of peoplein work 173 Employment relations 173 Tax credits 173 Minimum wage 174 Part-time workers 174 Conclusions – inwhoseinterests isemployment policy? 175 Keyterms andconcepts 178 Suggestions forfurther reading 178 9 AREPROFESSIONALS GOODFORYOU? THEEXAMPLE OF HEALTHPOLICYAND HEALTHPROFESSIONALS 180 Introduction 180 Health,illness, modernmedicine andhealth policy 181 Thehealth professions: toomuch power? 183 Acrisis of confidence inthemedical profession 185 Flaws in service delivery 187 Medical andnursing professions inthedevelopment of theNHS 189 Theadvantages and limitations ofthe NHS 189 Thehealthprofessions andhealth service reform 191 TheNHS and themedicalprofession in a newera of uncertainty 193 Conclusions 195 Keyterms andconcepts 198 Suggestions forfurther reading 198 10 UTOPIASAND IDEALS: HOUSING POLICYAND THE ENVIRONMENT 200 Introduction 200 Housing policy:definitions and significance 202 Housing utopiasand ideals 203 From philanthropy and self-help tosocial engineering 204 Thetriumph ofmarket ideals: housing policy in the1980s and 1990s 207 Housing underNew Labour –a forgotten dream? 212 Conclusions: housing andtheenvironment inapostmodern society 218 Keyterms andconcepts 220 Suggestions forfurther reading 221 11 COMMUNITYAND SOCIAL CARE 222 Introduction 222 Thedevelopment of community andsocial care 223 TheVictorian legacy:care in institutions 223 The1950s and 1960s: deinstitutionalization gains momentum 224 The1980s: ‘community’ and ‘care’redefined 225
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