Macquarie University

Developing Social Policy - SOC810

This unit introduces and advances major topics in social policy – the policies that governments make to improve individual and public welfare. The idea of social policy can be narrow, involving giving cash benefits and social services to the most needy. But our understanding of social policy might be broader, and encompass the provision of social infrastructure – health, housing and education services. Sometimes, social policy can be 'disguised' in other policies entirely, such as the policy of life-long employment promoted in industrial Japan, minimum wages in Australia, and guaranteed prices for food staples. This semester, we consider how different social policies shape different welfare states. The unit will have three parts. The first part engages with key concepts of social policy and the welfare state. The second part outlines three historical welfare models (Australia, Sweden, and the United States) and offers tools for classifying welfare states. The third part looks at the contemporary political and social dynamics surrounding welfare states. Across the semester, we keep a focus on welfare policymaking in Australia and recent social policy changes.