Theoretical And Ideological Perspectives On Social Policy

To comprehend and evaluate the theoretical foundations of social policy in light of its historical development, the impact it has had on welfare states, and the provisions it has created. This blog briefly examines the numerous philosophies that have examined social policy in their own unique ways. Understanding these beliefs can make it easier to comprehend how political factors, such as local ideologies or sociocultural differences, have influenced welfare policy around the world.

The reader will gain knowledge of:

Important theoretical and ideological viewpoints on social policy
The advantages and disadvantages of various approaches in contemporary social policy
How social policy theory, values, policies, and practices are related

Content

Introduction
Conservatism
Socialism
Marxism
Social Democracy
Liberalism
Neo-liberalism
Feminist perspective
Environmentalist Perspective
Post-modernist perspective
Political theories of Social policies

Introduction

The goal of this blog post is to introduce readers to the fundamental theories and ideas of social policy and the welfare state. It critically explores theoretical stances taken by feminist, antiracist, and ecological groups, as well as liberalism, marxism, social democracy, neoliberalism, the "third way," postmodernism, and other stances. The underlying assumption of the arguments is that conceptions of the nature and function of social policy and the welfare state in contemporary nations are frequently entangled with ideological and political interpretations. Studying theoretical frameworks and underlying assumptions is necessary since doing so will help one comprehend political processes, the political discussion that develops around them, and the actual application of social policies.

Conservatism

This school of thinking believes that human nature is intrinsically flawed and prefers tradition over change. It encourages a strong and authoritative government because it cherishes social order and limits the role of the state in providing welfare services. The institution of the family, private property, religion, and the nation are also highlighted. Conservatives also support hierarchy and inequality because they believe that people are different from one another based on their differing levels of ability.

Socialism

It is the antithesis of conservatism since it sees human nature as cooperative and creative, and as such believes that people are capable of self-government through the notion of popular sovereignty. Contrary to conservatism, this principle is driven by social equality. In order to address the demands of society's members, socialism promotes shared ownership of the means of production and distribution as well as communal accountability. This is founded on its core conviction that all people are interdependent. Socialists disagree on whether the government or self-help groups like cooperatives should provide welfare, though. It is significant to recognize that there are numerous schools of thought even within socialism, with Democratic Socialism and Marxism serving as the two main examples.

Marxism

Marxists hold that economic classes are in a permanent state of war in society, with the lower classes being exploited by the ruling class, which owns and controls the majority of the resources and the means of production. The exercise of power is emphasized from a Marxist perspective on welfare. Marxism continues to provide a framework for analysis that is critical of the capitalist system. Neo-Marxists, on the other hand, contend that the state has two primary functions: first, to enhance the conditions for capital accumulation; and second, to legitimize the capitalist system by implementing measures like welfare policies, pensions, health services, etc. so that people will accept the current system.

Social Democracy

Similar to socialism, social democracy upholds the principles of liberty, equality, and brotherhood. Since socialists and social democrats share some ideals, the differences between them are negligible. Instead of being collectivists, social democrats emphasize the freedom of the individual so that individuals can protect their individual rights while simultaneously supporting the limited role of the state. Instead of focusing on eliminating inequality, social democrats prefer to mitigate its impacts through social structures to shield individuals from the worst side effects of the market economy.

Liberalism

This philosophy views people as free, moral, and logical entities deserving of respect on an equal footing. As a result, it supports a limited government, a free market, and private property. The state should not interfere with an individual's liberty or rights, with the exception of seeking to prevent harm or preserve their freedom. Neo-liberalism, which grants the state a minimum role, is one of the ideology's most significant strands.

Neo-liberalism

Neo-liberals challenge those who think that in economically developed cultures, welfare should be provided primarily by the state.

Neo-liberals contend that nation-states suffered economically during the post-war era as governments diverted resources away from entrepreneurs and other productive businesses operating in the free market and toward the state-based protection of vulnerable individuals. They argued that the high taxes imposed to support welfare programs had a detrimental effect on investment in the private sector. This school of thought, which derives its inspiration from classical liberal ideas, in particular ideas advanced by

Adam Smith challenges individuals who support public welfare systems, arguing that neo-liberals believe such systems are not just overly expensive and ineffective, but also superfluous. Neoliberals favor reducing the scope of governmental welfare programs and promoting more commercial service options. One of the greatest proponents of this school of thought, Adam Smith, asserted that the market could provide both individual and social benefit while preserving human liberty. He held the opinion that individuals' desire of riches necessarily results in societal prosperity and that free producer rivalry invariably establishes a balance between supply and demand, resulting in a self-correcting mechanism that promotes prosperity. Such ideas influenced the classical liberal tradition, which was later reinterpreted by neo-liberals like Friedrich von Hayek and Milton Friedman, highlighting particular elements.

Furthering this idea, Friedman postulated that in order to avoid distorting market outcomes, the government should cut spending and maintain low tax rates. Hayek's concept expanded beyond economics and contributed to the growth of the neo-liberal political ideology. He employed a concept known as "negative freedom" to expand on Adam Smith's concept of human liberty. For him, the definition of freedom included being free from the capricious will of another, which meant that people were free as long as they were not coerced into making choices that they otherwise would not have made. This is supported by the notion that people should be free to use their freedom anyway they saw fit because it was a private concern. He therefore supported the premise that the free market and human liberty could coexist to establish an effective socioeconomic system. He believed that the market, not policymakers, was the only place where social justice could be distributed fairly.

Neo-guiding liberalism's ideas are as follows:

Human liberty - Individual freedom to do as they choose as long as it does not interfere with the liberty of others.
A competitive market economy - Based on the idea that there should be little government intervention and plenty of competition in the free market.
Upholding the rule of law - constitutional framework that restricts state power
Safety-net protection for people who are weak and unable to participate in the market.
Minimal public provision - only those products and services that the markets are unable to offer effectively.

Therefore, it is clear why neo-liberals believed that welfare governments, which were made up of bureaucracy and provided social services through monopolies, were intrinsically coercive. Additionally, it is thought that high taxes, which pay for vast public welfare systems, diminish incentives, deterring risk-taking in the marketplace. A lack of choice leads to welfare dependency, which in turn reduces personal responsibility because low-income families are no longer able to make active decisions about the goods and services they actually need or even to budget to cover their costs, according to other arguments. Low-income groups also have no say in bureaucratic decisions and end up paying a higher proportion of their income in the form of taxes.

After outlining the major arguments made by neo-liberals, certain objections that call into question some of the fundamental presuppositions that helped shape the neo-liberal approach have surfaced. The first criticism stems from the definition of human liberty, which might be seen as being taken too literally because it only considers individuals and views freedom negatively, seeing it as people's freedom from restrictions rather than their freedom to improve their potential and benefit from opportunities. Such a perspective ignores the significance of addressing social group needs, which may eventually lead to not just collective opportunity but also add value to the liberty of the individuals who are a part of that particular social group, possibly who have been historically marginalized. Neo-liberals have also come under fire for failing to distinguish between freedom and aptitude, according to some. Because low-income groups have fewer advantages than the privileged and hence lose their ability to exercise their freedom, unlike their counterparts, theorists contend that the free market does not in any way distribute income or resources equitably. Furthermore, it is maintained that public institutions aren't always more coercive than private ones. This is predicated on the idea that service providers in the private sector also have the power to compel customers, thereby limiting their options. Another such complaint is that taxes and incentives do not always increase welfare dependence or suppress entrepreneurial behavior. This argument emphasizes the necessity to consider sociocultural aspects of welfare rather than simply ignoring the need for taxation because results may vary from country to country.

feminist perspective

This viewpoint, as its name would imply, is concerned with gender relations, social justice, and the ways in which these things can and should be accomplished, made possible, or could potentially be hampered by the design of social welfare. However, other lenses can be employed to view the concerns outlined above even from this perspective. Liberal feminism, for instance, promotes equal involvement of women in public life and is represented in laws that support equal employment opportunities, equal pay, and the elimination of gender discrimination. The welfare feminists, on the other hand, are more focused on influencing and enhancing a woman's private life, where she fulfills the roles of a wife and mother. Later, the feminists who identified as Marxist and socialist attacked the presumptions that there are inherent and biological inequalities between men and women. The gendered division of welfare was seen as a means of reinforcing class relations, which would ensure the social stability necessary for the efficient operation of capitalist labor relations, they claimed, and welfare played a critical part in sustaining the subjugation of women at home. These opinions highlight the various perspectives on gender inequality. Being treated equally to men created problems since individual needs were frequently disregarded, and being treated differently was also bad because it fixed the unequal and dependent relationships that limited women and led to additional injustices. Postmodern feminists have, however, criticized both of these arguments since the 1980s. They wanted to concentrate on the differences between how welfare policies affected different categories of women, such as black women, disabled women, heterosexual women, etc., and their diverse societal implications. Such a strategy shed light on the dynamic, inconsistent, and ever-evolving welfare processes and the ensuing shifting gendered relations between men and women. Examining how the state conceptualizes and creates the social and cultural category of gender and the impact it has on welfare state institutions, practices, and policies is crucial in this situation. In order to influence policy so that it can encompass the private realm between the state and the market, feminists have taken into consideration a variety of aspects of women's life. Examples of topics covered by welfare policy include divorce, abortion, and child care. Other instances of the influence of feminism on social policies include the change from the male breadwinner model of welfare to the adult worker model as more and more women started to leave the home and enter the workforce.

Environmentalist Perspective

There is a difference between light and dark green thinking, which is another name for this particular method of thinking. The survival of the environment and the planet is of the utmost significance to dark green thinkers. They think that changing people's consuming habits is the only way to lessen the adverse effects on the environment. They promote adopting a poor person's lifestyle in order to lessen the harm done to the environment. Along with their steadfast political and social ideals, dark greens have strong ethical convictions. They believe that rather than waiting for legislation from the government, individuals should immediately begin living sustainably. However, younger generations used to a consumerist lifestyle may not always find this school of thought appealing. Light greens, on the other hand, are reformers who take a more practical approach. They think that emerging science and technology may solve environmental problems. Many people also think that market forces can be employed to correct environmental imbalances. They support a cost-benefit analysis that gives resources a monetary value, making it simpler to prioritize according to the required level of environmental protection. Furthermore, they think it would be a very wise investment to develop technology that could clean up after the modern industry. This ideology is influenced by a few other sociopolitical theories, such as eco-socialism. Green conservatism and ecofeminism. As their name implies, these viewpoints use the beliefs of their parents to address the environmental challenge.

Discussing environmental justice seems crucial in this situation. Low-income populations are least likely to benefit from the advantages that cause environmental dangers. However, their low socioeconomic level combines with the poor environment that surrounds them as well as a higher vulnerability to environmental risks, leading to environmental injustice.

There is no disputing that green values will have an impact on social policies. Governments may boost environmental taxes, putting additional pressure on the poor with the rising cost of goods. This line of thinking has been introduced since it seems important in our society and the future. The poor would need to be protected in order to stop the detrimental effects of such policies.

postmodernist viewpoint The concept of universalism is rejected by postmodernists, who hold that circumstance determines what is true. They also disagree with foundationalism, which holds that the roots of knowledge and belief may be shown through science. It is believed that comprehension is up to interpretation. Additionally, they disagree with essentialism since they believe that everything is just a social construct and does not necessarily have an essential quality that characterizes it. They also reject hierarchies, structures, and binary opposition in favor of networks, webs, and fluidity. This school of thought supports identity politics, according to which oppression and discrimination include not only a lack of resources but also a lack of status and recognition. Finally, postmodernists value diversity, individuality, and pluralism. The post-modernist way of thinking may help social policy by extending its horizons because it would focus on various identities and categories such as gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, etc. Although on the surface these ideas appear to be at odds with social policy because they reject the majority of fundamental beliefs social policies are based on,

Political theories of Social policies

Instead than examining more empirical issues like how social policy decisions have been reached, normative political theory focuses on how social policies should be developed. It investigates political theories and their effects on social policies. This method of research aids in understanding the rationale behind social policy formulation and looks at the values that underpin such choices. Therefore, the welfare state's values are debated and current challenges are challenged in the normative study of social policy. The need for the state to take on responsibility for everyone's individual wellbeing, for instance, is questioned because of the benefits that the state could obtain by merely insuring that no one's interests are hurt while pursuing their own. This issue is known as the scope problem. Similar to this, the issue of form is raised, where the welfare state's mission and degree of accountability are questioned when it accepts the duty of advancing personal welfare. The issue of execution then arises, raising doubts about the guiding principles of the state's actions.

The theory of social choice known as utilitarianism measures success as the satisfying of wants. People are assessed based on their preferences and how well they are able to fulfill them, therefore whether or not they are judged to be deprived depends on this. The maximization of net satisfaction serves as the foundation for the right in this situation, although it is still unclear whether the maximization principle should be applied to every activity or only specific kinds of actions. In utilitarianism, the responsible agents' primary priority is achieving efficiency; as a result, the action that best promotes the highest level of satisfaction is chosen.

Social policies are driven by a variety of political decisions. In making social policy decisions, politicians must decide on a set of fundamental criteria for personal well-being and how to enhance social welfare in order to meet those criteria. The choice of social policies and practices is frequently supported by political philosophy.

References

Weale, A. (1983). Political theory and social policy. Macmillan.
Hilgers, M. (2012). The historicity of the neoliberal state. Social Anthropology, 20(1), 80-94.
Alcock, P., May, M., & Wright, S. (Eds.). (2011). The student's companion to social policy. John Wiley & Sons.
Mabbett, D., &Bolderson, H. (1999). Theories and methods in comparative social policy. Comparative social policy: Concepts, theories and methods, 34-56.