bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Social Need Revisited
Authors: Clayton Susan 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTConsiderable debate has taken place as to the nature of social need and ways in which it can best be identified in individual people, but little attention has focussed on the way assessments of need are used in the process of policy formation. The article takes Jonathan Bradshaw's commonly quoted taxonomy of social need and assesses its strengths and weaknesses for use in a practical policy making setting, that of assessment of need for sheltered housing for elderly people by a district housing authority. Some fundamental problems associated with Bradshaw's approach are then discussed, together with those arising from use of a term such as need in the process of policy formation.
The Social Services Committee: a forum for policy review and policy reform
Authors: Nixon Jaqi , Nixon Nigel 
Published: January 2009

AbstractIn 1979 the House of Commons Select Committee system was reformed with a view to strengthening the powers of the Legislature over the Executive. The Social Services Committee is one of fourteen new Select Committees and has the responsibility to scrutinize the performance of the DHSS, to evaluate policies which are relevant to the Department and to publish the results of its investigatory enquiries. Thus, by reviewing policies and by making recommendations for reform, the Social Services Committee has the potential to play a significant role in the development of existing policies as well as in determining the shape of future ones. This article begins by providing a brief account of the reformed Select Committee structure in order to set in context the functions and performance of the Social Services Committee. It then examines the role and contributions of members, the chairman and the specialist advisers before proceeding to look at some of the Committee's activities. The article concludes by considering the impact of the Social Services Committee upon current DHSS policies and assessing its contribution to the wider policy making environment.
The Impact of Unemployment on the Living Standards of Families
Authors: Bradshaw Jonathan , Cooke Kenneth , Godfrey Christine 
Published: January 2009

AbstractSocial security for the unemployed was not designed to cope either with large-scale or long-term unemployment and recent developments in the structure of unemployment and in social security policy give rise to concern for the living standards of the unemployed, especially the long-term unemployed. This article draws on data from the Family Finances Survey to assess the living standards of the unemployed after various durations of unemployment and compare these with the living standards of families with low incomes from work. The measures of living standards used are income, expenditure and the availability of consumer durables. The implications of the findings for social security policy are discussed.
Making Reality Intelligible: the Relation Between Philosophical Analysis and the Study of Social Policies
Authors: Watson David 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe academic study of social policies has long been characterized by sympathetic reception of descriptions of social policies which are the outcome of methods of analysis developed in the academic study of history, sociology, economics, philosophy, and so on. However, cosy as such sympathy may be, it is time to move on. We may all agree that each of these methods of analysis, and others, separately or in combination, has something to offer; it is remarkably difficult to say precisely what. Studies of the study of social policies are too rare. Culyer has offered an account of what the methods of economic analysis do and might further yield (1981). Here I discuss what might be expected from philosophical analysis. I describe the two main contending conceptions of philosophical analysis in the Western tradition, drawing out their implications for the relation between philosophical analysis and the study of social policies. The importance of such analysis of what may be called ‘the conceptual aspect’ of social policies is illustrated by reference to recent discussion of the welfare state and of social need.
The Mixed Economy of Day Care: Consumer Versus Professional Assessments
Authors: Browne Angela C. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractOne of the crucial issues in the evolution of the welfare state is the preferred means of funding and providing social services. In the absence of a federally-funded and centrally-administered child day care programme in the United States, a variety of services and programmes have evolved. Public policy which seeks to encourage service diversity must consider the ability of social service consumers to afford, select or utilize services of quality, or to demand quality from service providers. This study compares child day care services provided under different auspices — public (state and municipal), quasi-public (military), quasi-private (employer-sponsored), non-profit and private proprietary. Consumer ratings of the day care programmes provided under six different auspices are compared to a research assessment of the same six programmes. The data indicate a tendency among consumers to be inattentive regarding the basic elements of care and to overestimate the quality of care. If we accept the view that consumer choice is desirable on procedural grounds (a desirable freedom), then the findings of this study suggest that public policy should strive to enhance the effectiveness of consumer choice.
The Future Challenge to the Past: The Case of the American Welfare State
Authors: Morris Robert 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTThis article and its commentaries examine some of the difficulties that confront supporters of the welfare state as they encounter critical opposition which has evolved in the US in recent years. Attention is directed to trends in popular attitudes which seem to produce a more narrow vision of welfare than that usually advanced by advocates and social policy makers, the changing nature of dependency and the unexpected consequences of universal benefit programmes. Different views are presented about how to approach welfare state developments in the US in the late twentieth century.
Private Rented Housing: Its Current Role
Authors: Bovaird A. , Harloe M. , Whitehead C.M.E. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractIn this article, the first of two, the recent developments and current situation in the private rented sector are examined. Four roles for the sector are identified: housing those who traditionally lived in the sector, housing the young and mobile, providing accommodation with employment and acting as a tenure of last resort for those unable to find accommodation in the majority tenures. The types of household to be found in each sub-sector are described and their reasons for being in the sector and what they obtain are analysed. Different types of landlord are identified and their reasons for letting examined. The problems encountered by tenants and landlords in each sub-sector are described, leading to the conclusion that the private rented sector urgently requires considered and effective attention from policy makers.
Prospects and Strategies for Housing in the Private Rented Sector
Authors: Whitehead C.M.E. , Harloe M. , Bovaird A. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThis second article examines the future of the private rented sector in terms of the types of household that will continue to demand accommodation, the types of landlord that will be prepared to continue to let and the match between the requirements of the two groups. It is predicted that, under present policies, the sector will continue to decline but that the problems that will arise will come more from the mismatch between demand and supply than from the absolute size of the sector. The article then examines possible policies that might help to alleviate these problems. It argues that neither a completely free market system nor strengthening existing controls is likely to prove acceptable. Finally, it suggests a number of possible ways forward within a system of partial controls.
Economic Welfare and Social Justice
Authors: Barr Nicholas 
Published: January 2009

AbstractTwo results are established in this paper. First, economic efficiency is an appropriate aim of policy under most definitions of social justice, including those of libertarians, utilitarians, Rawls and socialists; an increase in efficiency, in other words, can raise social welfare under all these theories of social justice. Second, when production is fixed, no distribution can be socially just unless it is also efficient. Though the weight it is given will vary under different definitions of social justice, economic efficiency is therefore not simply a constituent aim of utilitarianism, but an important goal, whatever one's ideology. Considerations of efficiency are therefore of general relevance to the formulation of social policy.
Evaluation of the Post-War Increase in Social Welfare Spending
Authors: Lampman Robert 
Published: January 2009

AbstractAmerican social welfare spending, broadly defined, increased faster than GNP in the years 1950 to 1978. The extra spending was directed mainly at the traditional welfare population categories of the aged, disabled, and female family heads. The extra funds were provided chiefly by payroll taxes and wage diversions. The social benefits that flowed from the extra social welfare spending include improved economic security and reduction in income poverty. These benefits, which are non-quantifiable, are supplemented by the quantifiable addition to GNP which arises from a more highly-educated labour force. The quantifiable social costs associated with the extra social welfare spending include a loss of potential GNP due to induced reduction of hours at work and extra resources used up for education and health care. The reader's judgement of the worth of the non-quantifiable social benefits is critical to his or her overall evaluation.
The Distributional Impact of Current Income Transfer Policies in the Netherlands
Authors: Goudswaard Kees , Jong Philip De 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe large and generous income transfer system in the Netherlands has caused increasing tax burdens and deficits in a period of sluggish economic growth. Confronted with this situation, the present Dutch government is trying to cut back the scope of the system substantially by reducing benefit levels. The distributional impact of this policy is simulated on a micro data set. It is found that the effects of the transfer cuts on overall income distribution are not very large: from 1983 to 1986, inequality as measured by the Gini or the Theil index increases by 3 per cent. However, inequality between working and non-working people as measured by the Theil index between groups is simulated to increase by as much as 50 per cent. On the other hand, people can be hypothesized to increase their work effort when benefit levels are lowered. Using a behavioural model, it is estimated that from 1983 to 1986 the working population might increase, ceteris paribus, by 0.5 per cent yearly as a consequence of the transfer cuts. This would imply second-round distributional effects mitigating the increase in overall inequality by one-third.
The Impact of Social Policies on Income Distribution and the Labour Market in Italy
Authors: D'Apice Carmela , Boca Alessandra Del 
Published: January 2009

AbstractItalian social policies are divided between insurance and public assistance, an ambivalence that occasionally results in unequal treatment of equals and discriminatory distribution of benefits. Though expansion of social expenditures slowed after 1975, social programmes did not suffer real cuts until 1983. The effect of social policies on poverty is not direct: most recent changes in the income distribution reflect the effects of recession. Though the Italian share of GDP officially allocated to social expenditures is still below the average of that in other industrialized countries, resources available to the needy are understated because of informal channels within the institutional system. Although the data on income distribution are inadequate, improvements can be discerned in the lowest decile owing to transfer policies targeted on families during the 1970s. In general, the equalizing policies championed by the unions in the 1970s have improved the well-being of wage earners and salaried workers, as well as pensioners.
Problems, But Whose Problems: The Social Construction of Black Youth Unemployment and State Policies
Authors: Solomos John 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTThe issue of black youth unemployment has become a central aspect of government race relations policies over the last few years, particularly in the aftermath of the 1981 street disturbances. This paper attempts to locate the various stages of response to this question, both at the level of ideology and of policy. It argues that although the policies pursued have been legitimized as helping young blacks, they have failed to mount an effective response to the employment crisis facing this group. In addition, it is argued that policies have tended to ignore the question of racism and to concentrate on the supposed cultural and personal handicaps which young blacks inherit from their cultural background. It concludes by questioning the ideology of equal opportunity, which is the core concept underlying government responses to racial discrimination, and argues for a more critical analysis of recent interventions premised on this notion.
Categories, Categorizations and the Political Economy of Welfare
Authors: Carrier John , Kendall Ian 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTMarxist accounts of welfare have been characterized by a critical view of social administration and an uncritical view of the concept of the ‘welfare state’. In this paper both these views are questioned. We explore the problems associated with basing analyses of welfare on the ‘welfare state’ and the limitations of certain criticisms of the ‘social administration tradition’. We conclude that whatever the merits of the more substantive elements in Marxist accounts of welfare, there are problems associated with their assumptions about social administration and the ‘welfare state’.
Comparing National Priorities: Family and Population Policy in Britain and France
Authors: Baker John 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTThe recent discussion of the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme in Britain in terms of the unfavourable demographic position early next century has highlighted how little attention is normally paid by British politicians and social policy analysts to population size and structure. Further, the attention is normally confined to the question of how policy should adapt to demographic change, rather than how to modify it, although Britain has an implicit policy of restricting family size. Britain is not alone in this but many countries show more concern about the future of their population and some wish to increase it. Among these is France. This article compares Britain and France: first, over the priority given to demographic issues by statesmen and academics; and second, over the advantages and problems seen in different demographic futures. It argues that family policy needs to be seen in a demographic context.
Being a Programme Authority: Is it Worthwhile?
Authors: Aldridge Meryl , Brotherton Christopher J. 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTNottingham is one of 23 local authorities designated as ‘programme authorities’ under the Inner Urban Areas Act 1978. Between 1983 and 1985 the authors carried out research into the formulation of inner city policy, its application to the Radford area in particular and the opinions of residents there about its impact. Interviews with a wide range of those involved with policy including local authority officers and members and representatives of the police, the health authority and regional Department of the Environment (DoE) revealed considerable institutional and political barriers to a joint inner city strategy in a shire district, even where the same party holds political control. Structures set up to liaise are cordial but clumsy, slow and very much removed from daily service delivery. As elsewhere, the local authorities are critical of lack of central government commitment to this part of the Urban Programme, but nevertheless work well with regional DoE. Paradoxically, however, despite their criticisms of a lack of central funds and of inappropriate spatial and other parameters, the local authority and health authority respondents are anxious for the Programme to continue as it provides both the resources and the justification for innovatory and redistributive projects which would otherwise have been financially and politically impossible.
Payments for Adopted Children—Right or Wrong?
Authors: Hill Malcolm 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTRecent changes in the law have made it possible to pay adopters in certain circumstances for the upkeep of their children. This is a policy change which has been controversial since it challenges values concerning not only the nature of adoption but also the boundaries between State and parental responsibility. It also represents a significant extension of local authority powers with regard to income maintenance. This raises issues of equity in relation to central government benefits for the maintenance of children and other forms of help available to disadvantaged families.
Health and Health Care Among Travellers
Authors: Pahl Jan , Vaile Michael 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTTravellers, or Gypsies, constitute a minority group with its own culture and traditions for whom access to health care can pose problems. A study of Traveller women and children showed that the sites where they lived were often lacking in facilities and provided a poor environment in terms of cleanliness and safety. Perinatal mortality was above average, and was especially high on sites with inadequate facilities and among the more mobile families. Immunisation and preventive care of children were both inadequate, especially among the more mobile. There continues to be a need for more, and better, permanent sites for Travellers. Other responses include allowing Traveller families to carry their own medical records, providing mobile clinics for Gypsy sites, and appointing specialist health visitors to ensure that Travellers get the health care to which they are entitled.
Poverty in Britain 1899 to 1983
Authors: Piachaud David 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTPast comparisons of the extent of poverty in Britain have been based on widely differing poverty levels. A constant relative poverty level is defined and new estimates of the extent of poverty from 1899 to 1983, based on this consistent standard, are presented. Factors that have contributed to the past changes are analysed.
Direct and Indirect Measures of Poverty
Authors: Ringen Stein 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTPoverty can be defined and measured either directly (in terms of consumption) or indirectly (in terms of income). The relative deprivation concept of poverty is a direct concept; poverty is understood as visible poverty, that is, a low standard of consumption. The income poverty line is an indirect measure; poverty is established as low income. It is argued that recent mainstream poverty research combines a direct definition and an indirect measure. This causes there to be no logical line of deduction between definition and measurement and, along with other problems in the approach, renders the statistics produced invalid.
Models of Carers: How Do Social Care Agencies Conceptualise Their Relationship with Informal Carers?
Authors: Twigg Julia 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTCarers occupy an ambiguous position within the social care system. Services are predominantly structured around the dependant rather than the carer, and this has important consequences for their delivery and evaluation. Many of the problems that arise in thinking about carer issues relate to confusion over the way the relationship between social care agencies and informal carers should be perceived. The paper outlines three models that provide frames of reference for this relationship: carers as resources; carers as co-workers; and carers as co-clients. The tensions between these are then used to explore the contradictions of policy in this field.
An End to Incrementalism? The Impact of Expenditure Restraint on Social Services Budgets 1979–1986
Authors: Kelly Aidan 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTThe theory of incrementalism is a long-standing and influential perspective on policy making and resource allocation in the public sector. Previous research on social services budgeting suggests that resources are allocated incrementally, although there has been some debate as to whether this would persist in an era of prolonged expenditure restraint. Incremental budgetary outcomes are operationalised as percentage changes in budgets pro-rata with percentage changes in the total budget, and as stable shares of total expenditure for each activity. Data for 99 English social service departments supports incrementalism in that budget shares change by only 1.8 per cent, but percentage allocations depart from pro-rata incrementalism by a mean of 74 per cent. The comparison of the two summary indices over time supports those who have argued that prolonged restraint would encourage non-incremental budgeting, but change in the agency's total budget does not consistently predict budgetary outcomes. The effect of restraint on incrementalism varies with the measure used and across the component activities of the measures, but there is enough evidence to suggest a significant decline in the level of incrementalism in social service departments. In particular, non-incremental budgeting is strongly associated with the growth of day centre expenditure on the mentally ill and the elderly before 1982–3, and after that with the pursuit of the ‘community care’ strategy within state provided services for the elderly and children. Incrementalism as a general theory of agency budgeting is limited in its ability to explain variations in the degree of incrementalism between agencies, between component budgets and over time. The conclusion suggests that further research should seek explanations for these variations in the varying balance of the competing forces which shape outcomes in welfare bureaucracies and in the relationship between these forces and the organisation's environment.
Countering Moral Hazard in Public and Private Health Care Systems: A Review of Recent Evidence
Authors: Donaldson Cam , Gerard Karen 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTWithin both publicly and privately financed health care Systems different funding mechanisms have evolved, or have been proposed, to deal with the problem of ‘moral hazard’. Moral hazard arises when financial incentives within the health care System lead to either inefficient demands for care by consumers or inefficient supply of care by providers. In this paper the problem of moral hazard is outlined in more detail, and different ways of countering moral hazard are reviewed in terms of three criteria: effect on patient utilisation of health services in general; effect on utilisation by different groups of patients; and effect on health status. It is concluded that evidence on different methods of funding health services can only be judged in the context of objectives. If the objectives of health care delivery are ‘maintenance or improvement of health’ and ‘equal access for equal need’ then charges and finance of care through health maintenance organisations both appear to be less favourable than ‘free’ care at the point of delivery whilst the latter is not necessarily more costly as a resuit. Research on other suggested alternatives is required, otherwise radical changes to health care financing in the UK will simply result in movement from one unproven system to another.