Social policy in the 21st century

Aims of the course

This course aims to:
1. achieve an understanding of the historical evolution and achievements of “social policy” as a distinct area of national governance since its early European expressions in the writings and policies of Otto von Bismarck and Benjamin Disraeli;
2. explore the challenges faced by social policy in two key policy areas – higher education and social care – with specific reference to recent British experience;
3. consider how specific “mega-trends” – in particular technological change and its impact on the nature of work; and ageing societies – may affect the demands placed on social policy over the next several decades.

Content

Social policy is a crucial, if loosely defined, area of governance. It is concerned with the ways governments and societies across the world meet human needs for security, education, work, health and wellbeing across the life course from childhood to old age; how policies respond to social, demographic and economic change, poverty, migration and globalisation. Social policies include child and family support, schooling and education, housing and neighbourhood renewal, income maintenance and poverty reduction, unemployment support and training, pensions, health and social care. Through the tax and benefit system, regulation, and the provision of free-at-point-of-use services, governments are key agents of social policy. From its 19th century beginnings in Bismarck’s Germany, and in Bentham’s and Disraeli’s England, social policy gradually expanded in ambition and in resource use with a step change in the aftermath of the Second World War, which saw the establishment of a social-democratic order across the West. Since the 1980’s, our understanding of the potential but even more of the limitations of social policy has been significantly enriched by new perspectives, notably those derived from public choice theory and from social capital theory. Having established this intellectual and historical background, the course proceeds to a detailed analysis of two key policy areas - social care and higher education – using recent UK experience to illustrate the challenges faced by established policy processes in the face of new challenges. In the final lecture, these key findings are applied to a speculative discussion of how technical change (most specifically its impacts on the nature of work) and ageing societies will affect the demands for social policy, how existing institutions may meet those demands, and what changes may be required.

Presentation of the course

The course consists of five 90-minute lectures (with a five-minute break halfway through!). You will have reviewed in advance the relevant sections of the readings and other materials indicated in the “Resources List” (see below in this course outline) and made available via the course Moodle VLE. At appropriate points during the lecturer’s presentation, you will be invited to join short “break-out” group discussions with your fellow participants, exploring further a key point just introduced in the discussion, and then sharing the outcomes of those discussion with your fellow course participants. The lectures will also highlight concepts, evidence, and resources of particular relevance to each of the suggested “Essay Topics” (see below in this course outline).

Class sessions

1. Economic management and social policies in historical perspective I: from Classical Liberalism to the post-war Western state
Until 1914, the British governments raised no more than 10% of the country’s income, and kept its spending at or below that level; after 1945, that basic measure of the size of government was over three times as high, and trended upwards until it regularly exceeded 40% of total income by the 1970s. Similar trends are observed in most Western countries, and social spending (on health, education, and social security transfers) are at the root of this expansion of the economic role of the state.

2. Economic management and social policies in historical perspective II: the rise and fall of the Neoliberal Order
By the 1970s, the tide began to turn; British commentators worried about the government “overloaded” with expectations and responsibilities it could not be reasonably expected to discharge, and Mrs Thatcher promised to “roll back the frontiers of the state”. In America, Ronald Reagan quipped that “the top 9 most terrifying words in the English Language are: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help”. Social policy was transformed initially by harder budget constraints, and then – even when Labour and Democratic administrations “inherited” the neoliberal revolution - by the increasing involvement of third sector providers via “quasi-markets” and outsourcing of social services.

3. Case Study 1: Further and Higher Education
Education beyond school-leaving age (relabelled as “participation age”, and only raised from 16 to 18 in the UK since 2013) has historically consisted primarily of full-time university education in non-vocational, academic subjects (Law and Medicine being the two exceptions), accessed by a minority of each cohort of school leavers, and primarily funded out of general taxation. Successive attempts to widen the offer of training and vocational opportunities (further education), to build transfer opportunities from further into higher education, and to diversify the content, teaching, and assessment of higher education courses, have been discussed not just in terms of human capital investment bringing a direct economic benefit (higher individual earnings for the educated, higher productivity for the country), but also as a key social policy underpinning social mobility.

4. Case Study 2: Social Care
Social care supports people of all ages with certain physical, cognitive or age-related conditions in carrying out personal care or domestic routines. It helps people to sustain employment in paid or unpaid work, education, learning, leisure and other social support systems. It supports people in building social relationships and participating fully in society.
The National Health Service (NHS), social security, housing support, public health services, volunteers and third-sector organisations, family members with caring responsibilities, are crucial further features of the environment in which social care is provided. In several countries, including the UK, a historical separation between health and social care is increasingly inappropriate as the boundaries between supporting people at home, providing residential care in sheltered or assisted accommodation, and traditional general practice and hospital (primary) care are increasingly blurred.

5. Some 21st century challenges: Populism, Technological Change, and the Ageing Society.
In the final lecture for this course, we shall explore how changes in the political landscape (in particular the ascendancy of populism, and the disengagement of the young from voting and other traditional forms of participation) may affect the feasibility and effectiveness of social policies aimed at supporting individuals and households impacted by changes in the nature of employment and age-related health conditions.

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:
1. Understanding the scope, instruments, and scale of social policies as they have developed in parallel with the emergence of industrial societies and up to the high tide mark of the welfare state in the third quarter of the 20th century;
2. Framing social policy within the wider context of an “embedding structure” of market societies, providing the resilience to rapid economic change, and the confidence in the fairness of the market, which makes capitalism sustainable in a democratic system;
3. With specific reference to the UK experience in the areas of social care and higher education, exploring how demographic, economic, and ideological change are impacting the scope for effective social policy in the 21st century.

Required reading

Brady, D and A. Bostic (2015) “Paradoxes of Social Policy: Welfare Transfers, Relative Poverty, and Redistribution Preferences”.
Gerstle, Gary (2022) The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: Ch. 8 “The End”.
Milward, Alan S (1992) The European Rescue of the Nation State: Ch. 2 “The Post-War Nation State”.
Salamon, Lester (2011) “The New Governance and the Tools of Public Action: an Introduction”.

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.