Aggregacing indicators

Coverage and raising benefits

Taking Social Development Seriously

Taking Social Development Seriously

Social policy, as an aspect of public policy, refers to ‘all forms of collective interventions such as fiscal, occupational, and social programmes that contribute to general welfare’ (Rein 1970). Stated differently, social policy is understood as referring to courses of ‘action’ or ‘inaction’ pursued by governments oriented towards social welfare goals, that is, some negative conceptions of avoiding harm or a positive conception of human well- being. The notion of well-being as human welfare is understood in a variety of ways. This may be in terms of the satisfaction of human needs, achiev- ing human capabilities or achieving equity or justice, all of which remain the subject of considerable theoretical and philosophical speculation. Central to the characterisation of social policy as an aspect of individual and social well being is the concept of need, which is critical for the study of social policy. This is mainly because the notion of welfare which is implicit in social policy is about need fulfillment or satisfaction. For this reason, arguments about social and economic rights revolve around the concept of need. Needs are universal, unlike wants which relate to individual preferences.1 Social policy concentrates on a range of human needs, extending from basic needs necessary to avoid deprivation, and others identified as social needs.

Human needs have been classified in a variety of ways. Doyal and Gough (1991), for example, distinguish between basic or survival need, intermediate needs, such as nutrition, sanitation and health care, and those preconditions for improving levels of welfare. Another well- known classification is Maslow’s (1950) hierarchy of needs, extending from physiological needs, security/safety needs and self-esteem to self- actualisation. Societies have different ways of meeting social needs (for example, the family, community structures or through institutionalised arrangements) and one can identify distinct policies and services linked to the social goals relevant to the satisfaction of normative or felt needs.2 As against normative needs identified by professionals and experts, felt needs relate to anything individuals or groups feel themselves to need.

The main thrust of social policy analysis has been to determine how we identify and measure these needs; above all, to analyse how societies provide for these needs collectively by the state and/or in other ways (for example, within the family or by voluntary charitable organisations). Stated briefly, social policy is concerned with a range of human needs and the social institutions devised to meet them. Table 2.1 sets out the link between Needs, Goals and Services which demonstrates the difference between Policies and Programmes. 

Poverty causes a person’s status to fall while it diminishes his or her

involvement in the larger community.

• In the industrialized nations, where poverty also exists, beliefs about
  poverty are frequently based on stereotypes. For instance, people may think that poor individuals are generally lazy and dangerous. Alternatively, there may be a misconception that the majority of poor people are immigrants, ethnic minorities, criminals, and mentally retarded.
  
• It has been shown that people suffer from hunger not because of a lack of availability of food, or over-population, but because they are too poor to afford the food. In many ways, politics and economic conditions have led to poverty and dependency around the world. Thus, addressing world hunger implies addressing world poverty. If food production is further increased and provided to more people while the underlying causes of poverty are not addressed, hunger will still continue because people will not be able to purchase food.
  
• Even non-emergency food aid, which seems a noble cause at face value, has shown to be destructive since it under-sells local farmers and can ultimately affect the entire economy of a poor nation. If the poorer nations are not given the sufficient means to produce their own food and other existential items, then poverty and dependency are likely to continue.
  
• Finally, leaders from rich countries are often heard telling poor countries that aid and loans will only be given when they show they are stamping out corruption. While the eradication of corruption is of primary importance and definitely must occur, the rich countries themselves are often active in the largest forms of corruptive practices in those poor countries. Indeed, many economic policies that rich countries have prescribed have exacerbated the problem. Thus, corruption must be high on the priority lists of both developing and developed countries.