"Social policy is a plan or action of government or institutional agencies which aim to improve or reform society."
This topic explores the various theoretical frameworks that underlie social welfare policy, including liberalism, conservatism, socialism, and feminism.
Social welfare policy history: Exploration of the origins of social welfare policy, tracing the history of social welfare programs from their inception in various countries.
Social welfare provisions: Identification of the types of social welfare programs implemented by governments worldwide. Examples include healthcare, education, and retirement security programs.
Social welfare philosophy: Examination of the theoretical and ethical principles that underpin social welfare policy. This includes exploring the fundamental causes of social welfare.
Social welfare ideologies: Comparison of the various philosophical perspectives that inform social welfare policies, including liberalism, conservatism, and socialism.
Social welfare politics: Examination of the political factors and power dynamics that influence social welfare policy creation, implementation, and delivery.
Social welfare policy formation: Analysis of the policymaking process surrounding social welfare programs, including how policies are created, reviewed, and revised.
Social welfare program delivery: Study of how social welfare programs are delivered and the various mechanisms used to provide these services.
Social welfare program evaluation: Examination of the methods used to evaluate the effectiveness of social welfare programs, including performance metrics, impact analysis, and cost-benefit analysis.
Social welfare program funding: Exploration of the various sources of funding for social welfare programs, including tax revenues, public-private partnerships, and philanthropic giving.
Social welfare program reform: Study of the ongoing efforts to reform and improve social welfare policy frameworks in response to changing social, economic, and political circumstances.
Universal Welfare: A system of social welfare in which benefits are provided to every citizen of a country regardless of their income or status.
Means-Tested Welfare: An approach to social welfare in which eligibility is based on an individual's means, income or certain other criteria.
Social Insurance: A system where the citizens contribute to a fund in exchange for insurance against certain risks such as job loss, sickness, or old age.
Social Assistance: This is given to the destitute based on their eligibility criteria. It includes housing, food stamps, and other forms of assistance.
Compensatory Welfare: A system that provides assistance to people who have been harmed in some way, like a victim of a natural calamity or illegal migrant workers.
Redistributive Welfare: The government transfers income from rich to poor through the use of progressive taxation.
Selective Welfare: A welfare system that provides benefits to certain populations, such as the elderly, disabled, or children in need.
Investment Welfare: This approach aims to give people the opportunity to invest in their own future, such as education or training, in order to improve their economic and social circumstances.
Structural Welfare: This is concerned with how economic and social forces work together to create systems of social inequality that negatively affect certain populations, such as women or ethnic minorities.
Comprehensive Welfare: This approach addresses a wide range of social service needs, such as health care, education, housing, and employment.
"Some professionals and universities consider social policy a subset of public policy, while other practitioners characterize social policy and public policy to be two separate, competing approaches for the same public interest [...] with social policy deemed more holistic than public policy."
"Social policy begins with the study of the welfare state and social services."
"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."
"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'."
"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."
"Social policy often deals with wicked problems."
"The discussion of 'social policy' in the United States and Canada can also apply to governmental policy on social issues such as tackling racism, LGBT issues (such as same-sex marriage) and the legal status of abortion, guns, euthanasia, recreational drugs, and prostitution."
"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."
"Social policy can be 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."
"Social policy can be 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 programs, as at the Institute of Public Policy, National Law School of India University, Bangalore, combined with development policy."
"...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'."
"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'."
"Social policy [...] affect[s] the well-being of members of a society through shaping the distribution of and access to goods and resources in that society."
"The discussion of 'social policy' in the United States and Canada can also apply to governmental policy on social issues such as tackling racism, LGBT issues (such as same-sex marriage) and the legal status of abortion, guns, euthanasia, recreational drugs, and prostitution."
"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."
"Social policy can be 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."
"Social policy can be 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."