Patricia Kennedy - Key Themes in Social Policy

KEY THEMES IN SOCIAL POLICY

Key Themes in Social Policy provides an accessible and authoritative introduction to the key concepts used in social policy, from autonomy to well-being.

With over 100 ideas discussed, this is a comprehensive student guide and is designed to help readers to gain a deeper understanding of major debates and issues. Each entry:

explores the background of the concept

discusses its relationship to the social sciences

describes its relevance to social policy and how widespread its use is

outlines some of the key thinkers and research on the topic and gives suggestions for further reading.

Making it easy to understand and use the most important ideas in the area, this is an essential companion for all students taking social policy courses.

Patricia Kennedy is a Senior Lecturer in Social Policy in the School of Applied Social Science at University College Dublin, Ireland. She has taught social policy since 1993 and co-founded the Irish Social Policy Association in 1997.

KEY THEMES IN SOCIAL POLICY

Patricia Kennedy

First published 2013
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2013 Patricia Kennedy

The right of Patricia Kennedy to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Kennedy, Patricia, 1963
Key themes in social policy / Patricia Kennedy.
p. cm.
1. Social policy. I. Title.
HN18.3.K46 2013
361.25dc23
2012033397

ISBN: 978-0-415-52096-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-52097-3 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-59418-6 (ebk)

Typeset in Sabon
by Prepress Projects Ltd, Perth, UK

This book is dedicated to my wonderful daughter Millie.

And a special thank you to Conor, Dylan and Fionn for their love, patience and support.

INTRODUCTION

Key Themes in Social Policy introduces students to some of the themes which come to the fore again and again in social policy studies. Social Policy as a subject evolved from the subject of Social Administration, whose beginnings can be traced back to the end of the nineteenth century. Some of the early empirical studies were carried out in Britain at the end of the nineteenth century and focused on poverty. However, if we look at policies we see examples as far back as the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1604. Social insurance was introduced by Otto von Bismarck in the nineteenth century. If one reads the classic texts in Social Policy associated with such writers as Richard Titmuss and Amartya Sen, more recent classic feminist approaches by Fiona Williams, or comparative studies such as those associated with Esping-Andersen, one recognizes themes emerging. If one reads government reports, pieces of legislation, for example the Poor Law, the Beveridge Report, Obamas Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or reports published by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Union (EU), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank, similar themes emerge. Even though different views are evident and a range of explanations and empirical evidence is presented, themes exist. After a while, one may begin to recognize these, but, when starting out as a student of Social Policy, it is useful to have signposts to help in grasping these themes, identifying and managing them so that when they are encountered one has a working knowledge and adequate understanding to progress.

This is the aim of this book. It is concerned with equipping students with a basic knowledge when they are engaging with social policy literature and documents in various guises. It is a reference book which introduces a broad range of concepts and theories, which need to be identifiable, accessible and comprehensible to students as they launch an investigation into social policy at third level. It is a guide to a more comprehensive treatment of the topic. The types of themes which emerge are in relation to defining welfare, welfare states, systems and regimes, redistribution and what it involves. Broader philosophical ideas on justice, equality, needs and rights are introduced in an accessible way. They are presented alphabetically as a useful, accessible resource for students.

This book is based on over thirty years of reading social policy in various forms, and over sixteen years introducing key concepts and theories in social policy to undergraduate Social Policy students. Any two people will choose different themes; however, there are many viewed as central. Concepts are abstract and so can be difficult to grasp. In my teaching I have drawn on a broad range of writing on a multitude of topics. They come from a range of social sciences, including sociology, philosophy, economics, politics and social psychology. This book is aimed at undergraduate students. In explaining the themes, concepts are presented and explained. Concepts enable us to ask intelligent questions. We need consensus on the possible meaning of the concept to ensure we have a shared understanding. That is not to say that a concept cannot have a variety of meanings and standpoints, but we need to know this. To make sense of the empirical evidence in social policy we need tools to understand and analyse. To do this we need concepts. Concepts are words, abstract ideas which we use daily to explain, understand and analyse. Many of them are the common everyday words used in conversation. Even the youngest children claim they have rights: thats not fair, he got more than me. When we start to interrogate the world as policy analysts, we need clarity. Social policy analysis employs concepts to understand, explain, construct and deconstruct empirical evidence. This is the task of this book. It is concerned with clarifying the true definition of the words used in social policy debates. Defining concepts will help us to use them precisely, to understand their theoretical underpinnings. Some words have lost meaning through overuse; for example power, exclusion and equality. What do these mean? Many of the concepts presented in this book are contested. They are also interconnected. Although each section ends with suggestions for further reading, each will contain references that can be found in the extensive bibliography, which is a resource. There will be cross-referencing when useful. I have incorporated texts stretching back over several decades, which are the foundation stones of social policy. I draw on recent material from relevant journals and organizations and introduce examples of policy from around the globe. It is my hope that this book will serve as a launch pad for Social Policy students and help them on their journey of discovery of this very important academic subject.