Sociology Social Policy Notes Essay Example

Sociology Social Policy Notes Essay Example Sociology Social Policy Notes Essay Sociology Social Policy Notes Essay Assess the relationship between sociology and societal policy ( 33 Markss ) Sociology has been related to the devising of societal policy. sociologist’s function of carry oning research on both societal jobs and sociological jobs are bought together for the creative activity of a societal policy. A societal job is a manner of societal behavior that causes public and/or private struggle and calls for action to work out it. A sociological job is any form of relationships that calls for an explanation’ ( Peter Worsley ) this could be something that society respects as a societal job but can besides be something that society respects as normality’ . For illustration. Georg Simmel was interested in uncovering the cosmopolitan features of all societal relationships whether in the household. an office or even in a coach halt waiting line. Many sociologists are interested in work outing societal jobs through their research and many are employed by the Government sections. These sociologists frequently have direct input into the devising of policies and measuring their effectivity. Sociology has had an influence on societal policy in many factors. Electoral popularity can hold an impact on whether a sociologists research findings and recommendations point to a specific policy that possibly popular or unpopular with electors. Besides. if a researcher’s position is similar to that of the Government. the research worker may stand more opportunity in act uponing the policies. Therefore. holding the same political orientation and policy penchants of the Government would set the research worker at an advantage. Interest groups and force per unit area groups seek to act upon Government policies in favor of their ain involvements which creates competition for the sociologist seting frontward their policy. Globalisation may act upon societal policy through international administrations act uponing single Governments. Besides. sociologists that are critical of the province and powerful groups ( e. g Marxists ) may be regarded as excessively utmost and hence improbable to influence policy. Policy shapers may non hold the support to set forward an appropriate policy based on them. or. they may hold other disbursement precedences and committednesss. Sociologists may chant down their policy recommendations and their findings to suit their pay-masters wants. Similarly policy shapers may enroll sociologists who portion the same premises and/or political value. Positivists take the position that sociology is a scientific discipline and would happen the cause of societal jobs so conclude the scientific solutions to them. Their attack was portion of the Enlightenment Project to utilize scientific discipline and ground to better society. Functionalist take a similar position and see society as based on value consensus and free from cardinal struggles. They see the province as functioning the involvements of society as a whole. bring forthing and implementing societal policies for the good of all. These policies help society to run swimmingly and expeditiously. Functionalists favour societal policies that are referred to as the piecemeal societal engineering’ this is a cautious attack that tackles one issue at a clip. Marxists criticise this attack and argue that societal jobs such as under accomplishment are facets of a wider construction of category inequality and therefore we need to alter the basic construction of society in order to work out the jobs. Both rationalists and functionalists see the sociologist’s function as to supply the province with nonsubjective and scientific information. By the sociologist look intoing societal jobs and detecting the cause. the province can so implement a base to the policies. The societal democrats favour a major distribution of wealth and income from the rich to the hapless. Peter Townsend. argues that they should be involved in researching societal jobs and doing policy recommendations to stop the societal jobs. For illustration. Townsend conducted extended research on poorness. From his findings he made recommendations for policies such as fairer. higher benefit degrees and more public disbursement on wellness. instruction and public assistance services. Marxists criticise this position. They argue the same societal jobs. nevertheless. in their position ; capitalist economy is finally responsible for the inequalities therefore the job can non be solved unless capitalist economy is abolished. They besides argue that in any even affecting the capitalist province ; they are improbable to present dearly-won public disbursement policies to profit the on the job category. Marxists see society as divided through struggle of involvement in which the opinion capitalist category exploit the labor of the on the job category. The see the province as stand foring the opinion category and its societal policies serve the involvements of capitalist economy. non those of society as a whole. They argue that the province provides ideological legitimation to dissemble the capitalist development. keep the labour force for farther development and they are a agencies of forestalling revolution when category struggle intensifies and threatens the stableness of capitalist economy. But. Marxists do recognize that societal policies sometimes benefit the on the job category. However. these are threatened with the capitalist inclination to travel into periodic crisis of profitableness taking to cuts in province disbursement on public assistance. Marxist believe that research uncovering the truth about the societal jobs capitalism creates will non be used to make policies to work out the jobs. The lone solution to societal jobs is a revolution to subvert capitalist economy and make a egalitarian society. Therefore they see the sociologist’s function should be to knock capitalist societal policy. non to function the capitalist province. Exploitation must be revealed by the sociologist and the manner how the opinion category use societal policies to dissemble this development and purchase off rebellion with minor grants. Critics argue that the Marxist position on societal policy and the function of the sociologist are impractical and unrealistic. Social Democrats criticise them for rejecting the thought that sociological research can assist convey about progressive policies within the bing capitalist system. Feminists see society as based on cardinal struggle between genders. The argue society is patriarchal and benefits me at women’s disbursal and the province preserve women’s subordination through its societal policies. Feminist research has already had an impact in a figure of policy countries. For illustration. in instruction it has influenced policies such as larning stuffs that promote positive images of adult females and teacher preparation to sensitize instructors to the demand to avoid gender prejudice and promote inclusiveness for both sexes. Extremist womens rightists regard work forces as direct oppressors of adult females. particularly through the household where adult females are unbroken subsidiary through the usage of menace of physical and sexual force. They therefore favour segregation. the thought that adult females need to divide themselves from work forces to be free from patriarchate. One country of societal policy that reflects this position is the constitution of adult females safeties for adult females get awaying domestic force. Feminist sociological research has had some impact on societal policies countries that affect adult females. The New Right believe that the province should hold minimum engagement in society. They are opposed to utilizing the province proviso of public assistance to cover with societal jobs. State intercession in countries such as household life. income support and instruction robs people of their freedom of ain pick and undermines the sense of duty ; taking to greater societal jobs. Charles Murray argues that generous public assistance benefits and council lodging for lone parents weakens the autonomy that households have. They encourage the growing of the dependence civilization. an lower class of lone female parents. undisciplined kids. and irresponsible male parent who abandon households in the cognition that the public assistance province will supply for them. Murray favours a decrease in the province disbursement on public assistance. The New Right are extremely critical of bing policies. They see the function of the sociologist as being to suggest alternate policies to the present 1s. These policies should take to reconstruct duty of persons for their ain and their households welfare instead than go forthing their duty to the province.