social policy

Question 1

What is social policy?

Answer 1

The plans and actions of governments to tackle social problems e.g. poverty, educational underachievement, crime

Question 2

Different social perspectives hold different views of the nature in social policy, give 4 of these perspectives
Summarise what they priotise

Answer 2

Marxism- reduce capitialism
Functionalism- policy is beneficial
Feminism- reduce patriarchy
New Right- reduce dependency culture

Question 3

What is the New Right opposed to in social policy?

Answer 3

Using welfare benefits to deal with state problems, state intervention robs people of their freedom to make their own choices
This will lead to greater social problems e.g. crime

Question 4

What does Murray argue about welfare benefits?

Answer 4

They act as a ‘preserve incentive’, weakens the familys resiliance
Encourages the growth of dependency culture and lone mothers, undisciplined children, irresponsible fathers

Question 5

One limitation of the New Rights perspective on social policy is that the research can be questioned
Explain

Answer 5

Validity of data Murray claims a link between absent fathers and delinquency can be challenged

Question 6

Why do functionalists see social policys as beneficial?
Give an exmple and explain

Answer 6

Helps society run efficiently as the state serves the interests of society as a whole
Society is based on a value consensus (shared norms and values)
E.g. educational policies promote equal opportunity and social intergration, health and housing policies assist family

Question 7

One limitation of the functionalists perspective on social policy is that marxists criticise it for being to positive
Explain

Answer 7

Functionalists favour a cautious approach, wanting to tackle one specific issue at a time
Marxists argue that problems e.g. underachievement are simply aspects of a wider structure of class inequality, we ned to change this first

Question 8

According to Marxists, who do state policies benefit?
Give an example of this

Answer 8

The ruling class, serving the interests of capitalism
Capitalism maintains the labour force for further exploitation e.g. NHS by keeping workers fit enough to work

Question 9

According to Marxists, what should the sociologists main role be to?

Answer 9

Criticise capitalist social policy, not sevring the interest of the capitalist state
Must reveal the exploitation under capitalism, and the way the ruling class used policies to mask this exploitation

Question 10

How is the marxist perspective criticised?

Answer 10

Impractical and unrealistic
Sometimes they reject the idea that research can bring progressive policies within capitalist system
E.g. poverty researchers have had some positive impact on policy

Question 11

Who do social policies benefit according to feminists?
E.g.

Answer 11

Men, serving the interests of the patriarchy
State reinforces womens subordination through social policies
E.g. family policies assume the norm is a nuclear, hetrosexual couple
State will then offer benefits to these couples, not cohabitiating ones

Question 12

How has feminist research impacted policy
Give a limitation of this

Answer 12

Education, influenced policies e.g. learning materials that promote more positive images
Marxists and radical feminists call for more far reaching changes, which the state cannot deliver