Global InformationSocial policy information
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Some professionals and universities consider social policy a subset of public policy,[1] while other practitioners characterize social policy and public policy to be two separate, competing approaches for the same public interest (similar to MD and DO in healthcare), with social policy deemed more holistic than public policy.[2] Whichever of these persuasions a university adheres to, social policy begins with the study of the welfare state and social services.[3] It consists of guidelines, principles, legislation and associated activities that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare, such as a person's quality of life. The Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics defines social policy as "an interdisciplinary and applied subject concerned with the analysis of societies' responses to social need", which seeks to foster in its students a capacity to understand theory and evidence drawn from a wide range of social science disciplines, including economics, sociology, psychology, geography, history, law, philosophy and political science.[4] The Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy at Harvard University describes social policy as "public policy and practice in the areas of health care, human services, criminal justice, inequality, education, and labor".[5] Social policy might also be described as actions that affect the well-being of members of a society through shaping the distribution of and access to goods and resources in that society.[6] Social policy often deals with wicked problems.[7]
The discussion of 'social policy' in the United States and Canada can also apply to governmental policy on social issues such as tackling racism,[8] LGBT issues (such as same-sex marriage)[9] and the legal status of abortion,[10] guns,[11] euthanasia,[12] recreational drugs[13] and prostitution.[14] In other countries, these issues would be classified under health policy and domestic policy.
The study of social policy can either be a stand-alone degree at providers such as the University of Birmingham, University of York, Oxford University, and the University of Pennsylvania, a specialization as part of a public policy degree program such as at McGill University, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Harris School of Public Policy, and the Hertie School of Governance, or a joint degree along with a similar related degree in social work or public health such as at George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. In the Global South, social policy is offered along with public policy degree programmes, as at the Institute of Public Policy, National Law School of India University, Bangalore, combined with development policy.
- ^ "About the Malcolm Wiener Center". Presidents and Fellows of Harvard. 15 February 2006. Archived from the original on 25 December 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Penn SP2 Mission Statement". University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ Spicker, Paul. "An introduction to Social Policy". www2.rgu.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Welcome to the Department". London School of Economics (LSE). Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "About the Malcolm Wiener Center". Presidents and Fellows of Harvard. 15 February 2006. Archived from the original on 25 December 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ Social Policy in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Critical Introduction (2005) by Christine Cheyne, Mike O'Brien, & Michael Belgrave - Page 3
- ^ Rittel, H. & Webber, M. (1973). Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning. Policy Sci 4:155-169.
- ^ Eilperin, Juliet; Mufson, Steven (28 April 2015). "Obama calls for social policy changes in wake of Baltimore riots". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Gay marriage inquiry reaches consensus". AustralianMarriageEquality.org. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Gender and sex equality". Social Policy Digest. Cambridge Journals. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Gun Control". Almanac of Policy Issues. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ Thomasma, David C.; Graber, Glenn C. (1991). "Euthanasia: Toward an Ethical Social Policy". Ann Intern Med. 114 (12): 1067. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-114-12-1067_3.
- ^ "Drug Use, Consequences and Social Policies" (PDF). Tammy L. Anderson, Ph.D. Chicago, IL: University of Illinois. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Prostitution Policy in Canada: Models, Ideologies, and Moving Forward" (PDF). Canadian Association of Social Workers. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2015.