Social Quality and Modern Public Health

Abstract

The central focus of this special issue of the European Journal of Social Quality is exploring and understanding the utility, relevance and operationalisation of the Theory of Social Quality for public health policy and practice. In keeping with the aim of this special issue, the authors work with the Theory of Social Quality and make attempts to ground it in the reality of public health practice and policy. However, the Editorial Board stress that in the future papers will be published which discuss, critique and provide counter-arguments to this theory, in the hope of providing extra theoretical and empirical depth. In so doing, we intend to develop the journal as a place for critical debate and discussion. As a public health academic with a background in sociology, my reference points when thinking about the Theory of Social Quality (van der Maesen, Walker and Keizer 2005) have been its relationship to wider literatures within both public health policy and sociological theory. In terms of public health policy, there are explicit relationships with policies around reducing health inequalities (Department of Health, 2005; WHO Task Force on Research Priorities for Equity in Health 2005), investing in social capital (Health Development Agency 2004) and tackling social inclusion/exclusion (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions 2003; Social Exclusion Unit 2006). In terms of sociological theory, there are well developed synergies with literatures focused on relationships between structure-agency (Archer 1995; Bourdieu 1977; Giddens 1976, 1984; Mouzelis 1995) and systems-lifeworld (Habermas 1997; Scambler 2001; Scambler and Britten 2001; Williams and Popay 2001) and also emerging links with literatures on the sociology of trust (Giddens 1990, 1991, 1994; Luhmann 1989; Ward and Coates 2006) and social systems theory (Luhmann 1982, 1995; Parsons 1951; Parsons and Norfolk 1971). As such, the Theory of Social Quality has great potential in public health by acting as a mechanism of (or conduit for)