Government Social Policy Research Articles

Developing a new drug recovery community in the UK: a qualitative study of the transferability of an intervention from San Patrignano, Italy, to Scotland

BackgroundAlthough the Scottish Government's 2008 national drugs strategy (Road to Recovery) and HM Government's 2017 Drug Strategy emphasise recovery, drug-related deaths continue to increase. An alternative approach is being developed by Independence from Drugs and Alcohol Scotland (IFDAS) inspired by the successful drug recovery community in San Patrignano, Italy. In contrast to harm-reduction measures, a drug recovery community is a complex psychosocial intervention designed to address the wider social determinants of addiction. We aimed to assess the programme theory of the San Patrignano model to identify key mechanisms and stakeholders' perceptions of mechanisms considered essential to transfer to, and those that need adapting for, the new drug recovery community in Scotland. MethodsThis qualitative study consisted of semi-structured interviews with knowledge-rich stakeholders, purposively sampled from San Patrignano (n=6) or IFDAS (10); observational notes recorded during 10 days' immersion in San Patrignano; and notes from meetings and events in both sites. Stakeholders had professional knowledge in a range of areas including social enterprise, clinical expertise, therapeutic recovery community methods, and government social policy. All qualitative datasets were analysed inductively with findings grounded in the data. We drew on realist principles to analyse the mechanisms of change in relation to context, at both individual and organisational levels. Data synthesis was guided by framework analysis. FindingsSan Patrignano stakeholders reported six mechanisms related to recovery at the individual level (commitment to change, removal from former social environment, communal living, peer mentor with lived experience, structure and routine, meaningful work). Four mechanisms contributed to success at the organisational level (visionary leadership, staff dedication, social enterprise, and adaptable learning organisation). IFDAS stakeholders reported mechanisms being directly transferred (eg, peer mentor with lived experience, social enterprise) and those being adapted for the Scottish context. InterpretationThis is one of the first studies to investigate transferability of a successful drug recovery community across different cultural contexts with the aim to prospectively identify essential mechanisms and adaptations required to enhance implementation of the new intervention in Scotland. This study will also contribute to formulation of generic principles on transferability of successful complex interventions across different sociocultural contexts. FundingUK Medical Research Council and Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office Complexity in Health Improvement programme (MC_UU_12017/14).

Optimal Fiscal Policy – Factors for the Formation of the Optimal Economic and Social Models

Objective - The purpose of this paper is to develop the optimal economic and social model for the modern stage and analyze the Social Progress Index in Georgia. The research is based on the paradigm that "what we analyze, this determines the decisions we make". Consequently, emphasis is placed on issues that significantly affect human well-being. Methodology/Technique - In this top-down study, the empirical material is collected from official documents and public statements made by centrally placed politicians and administrators in Georgia as well as research conducted by international organizations in Georgia. The research database used is the legislative and normative acts adopted by the government of Georgia in the modern day, in particular: the National Statistics Office of Georgia, the Economic Development and Finance Ministries, the Georgian National Statistics Office, the Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee and other related departments. Findings - This study shows that the formation of the optimal economic and social organization model of a country is particularly dependent on the selection and implementation of the most appropriate fiscal policy. The philosophy of social security is one of the greatest achievements of modern civilization. The present work is dedicated to the progress of human development – specifically, welfare issues. This provides the model for creating the optimal social security system of a population, with the following social system parameters: distribution of national income to the population and their families and addressing the issues of financing social security needs. Based on the study of the social experiences of social reform and the social indicators of the European Union, the alternate concept of prosperity and perfection is developed. These topics are the focus of the present work. Novelty - The empirical material contained within focuses on the period after 2005, when some important changes in political leadership took place. In 2003, Saakashvili became President of Georgia, Ivanishvili was elected as Prime Minister in 2012 and Kvirikashvili took over this position in 2015. During this time, there was also a shift in government social policy at a central level. The collection of empirical data for this study ends in 2017, giving a total study period of 12 years. Type of Paper: Empirical. Keywords: Fiscal Policy; Welfare; Social Security; Social Innovation; Household; Employment. JEL Classification: E24, E62, H31, H55, H61, R2, R51.

Widening higher education participation in rural communities in England: An anchor institution model

Against a United Kingdom policy background of attempts to widen higher education participation in a socially inclusive direction, this article analyses theory, policy and practice to understand why past efforts have had limited success and to propose an alternative: an “anchor institution” model. A university and a private training provider were the principal partners in this venture, known as the South-West Partnership (pseudonym); the model was developed by them to meet the particular needs of mature female students who want and/or need to study part-time in a rural, coastal and isolated area of south-west England. While the concept of “anchor institutions” has previously been used in government social policy, and in higher education to promote knowledge transfer, it has not yet been adopted as a method for widening participation. The research study presented in this article investigated the effectiveness of the model in widening higher education participation in the context of the South-West Partnership. The study was conducted within an interpretivist theoretical framework. It accessed student voices to illustrate the character of education required to widen participation in vocational higher education by mature female students in rural communities, through semi-structured qualitative interviews on a range of topics identified from relevant theoretical literature, and by drawing on the research team’s professional knowledge and experience. These topics included student aspirations and career destinations, motivations, access, learning experiences, and peer and tutor support. It is hoped the findings will inform the future development of adult vocational higher education provision in rural areas, where opportunities have been limited, and encourage further application of the anchor institution model for widening participation elsewhere.

Одинокие пожилые: доживают или активно живут?

This article analyzes the life satisfaction dynamic among lonely old age in Russia throughout the course of the last two decades, together with its determinants, based on methodology from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey of the Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE). It is shown that in Russia, which, during its transformational period, went through each phase of the business cycle with high amplitude of fluctuations, life satisfaction among lonely old ageed is more closely linked to the key economic indexes than in countries which did not have to deal with such intense economic and social turmoil. The interconnections between life satisfaction among lonely aged and their main determinants bear the same characteristics in Russia as they do in many other countries. Proposed are certain measures for improving government social policy with regard to elderly people.

Information systems and intergovernmental relations in Brazilian social policies: a study on users’ adaptations to the local context

The goal of the paper is to identify barriers to the adoption of information systems in Brazilian federal government social policies at the local level. The study focuses on users of information systems from other intergovernmental organizations that helped the federal government in the implementation of social public policies, especially at the local level. The federal government has been using information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve federal coordination of various social programs. This means that technology has been another component in the implementation of these policies. This paper adopts the assumption that users of information systems can change the context of technology use, not only the technology or information system itself. These changes, which were not foreseen by the system designers or policymakers, may explain the success or failure of the adoption of these systems in social policies coordinated by the Brazilian federal government. Case studies of two social programs in different areas (education and social assistance) were carried out in two Brazilian states (Pará and São Paulo). The focus of the article was to identify how users of information systems alter the context of information systems use. The findings helped to identify two dimensions that can cause difficulties or changes in the use of intergovernmental information systems at the local level: the technical and administrative capabilities of local governments and the rigidity of information systems and sharing of data and information to subnational participants of federal government social policies.

Debate: Interventions and contradictions— recent government social housing policy

The period since the 2015 general election in the UK has been a tumultuous time for the social housing sector. There was only a small indication of what was to come when the Conservative party reva...

Land sharing and land sparing reveal social and ecological synergy in big cat conservation

Global biodiversity conservation has recently focused on the roles of land management strategies of land sharing vs. land sparing. However, few studies have evaluated the roles of social and ecological interactions in modifying the effectiveness of land management for top predator conservation. Using a 65-year dataset from northeastern China, we evaluated the roles of government social policies in resolving human-wildlife conflicts and improving human livelihood. From 1998 to 2015, both big cat populations and their habitats have increased. Concurrently, regional human population density decreased by 59.6%, forest volume logged was reduced by 62.6%. Consequently, increases of key prey species were observed during the same periods. Although populations remained small, the annual finite rate of increase was 1.04 for the Amur tiger population and 1.08 for Amur leopards from 1999 to 2015. Habitat areas occupied by big cats increased significantly. Overexploitation of forest resources and big cat declines under previous unsustainable land use are progressively being reversed under land sparing. Large economic investment and intense human-relocation projects coupled with efforts to reduce poaching and illegal hunting and trapping demonstrate a complex social and ecological synergy in big cat conservation in China.

“We’re all in this together”? The search for collective belonging in a globalised single industry town

PurposeCommunities of work are a phenomenon closely associated with government social and industrial policy, and can be tracked in contemporary examples globally alongside industrial development. The purpose of this paper is to explore community identity within a town which was previously single industry, but has since experienced workforce reduction and to a large degree, industry withdrawal.Design/methodology/approachUsing an inductive approach, the researchers interviewed 32 participants who had resided (past or present) within the instrumental case study town. A thematic analytical framework, drawing on the work of Boje (2007) was employed.FindingsA significant theme to emerge from the participants was the public assertion of social cohesion and belonging. However, what was interesting, was that beneath this unified exterior, lay accounts of multiple forms of demarcation. Drawing on Benedict Anderson’s (1983) notion of the imagined community, and Bauman’s (2001) identity in globalisation, this contradiction is conceptualised as boundary-making moments of identification and disidentification.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is specific to the New Zealand context, although holds many points of interest for the wider international audience. The research provides a broad example of the layering of the collective and individual levels of identity.Social implicationsThis research provides a voice to the wider individual, community and societal implications of managerial practices entwined with political decisions. This research encourages managers and educators in our business schools to seek to understand the relationship between the political, corporate, community and individual realms.Originality/valueThis research makes a significant contribution to understandings of the interconnectedness of social policy, industry, and the lived experiences of individuals. Moreover, it contributes to the broader single industry town literature, which previously has focussed on stories of decline from a North American context.

EU SOCIAL POLICY: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS

Introduction. Reform of the social policy is one of the most important issues not only for individual the EU Member States but for the EU as a whole. The economic integration in the absence of adequate social protection means the growth of inequality, insecurity and marginalization among EU citizens. Areas of solving economic and social problems, which worsened in recent years because of military action in Syria and Ukraine and exit of the UK out of the EU (Brexit), should be aimed at preserving the EU single market, reforming the labour market and social policies. Purpose. The article aims to assess the trends and problems of implementation of government social policy and social protection in the EU and to identify areas of social policy reforming. Results. The classification of social policy models has been proposed. Analysis of current trends in social protection has been carried out. The spending for social protection in the EU has been estimated. On the basis of research the problems in EU social policy have been outlined. The ways of its reforming have been determined.

The Establishment of Social Entrepreneurship Movements as A Response to The Transformation of Governments' Social Policies (The Case of Four EAEU Countries)

Objective - This article summarizes research into the social entrepreneurship movement based on databases which include respondents from the following countries: the Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Kazakhstan and Russian Federation. This article tries to relate the efficiency of social policy to social issues. Methodology/Technique - We selected 180 acting social enterprises and 36 from 4 post-soviet countries and conducted interviews and observations to create a database. Based on defined key criteria, different types of social actors were classified and grouped. Findings - The findings indicate that state funding for social services and social protection has fallen dramatically due to a sharp decline in GDP and in the residual shares of GDP allocated for social policy. Our analysis indicates that countries which experienced a transformation of government social policy have a greater variety of social actors. Through the database, we were able to define and classify 8 typical groups of social actors. Two of them - social activists and social reformers - can help a nation to create a new stable system for target social groups. Novelty - Originality of the findings of this article. Type of Paper: Empirical Keywords: Social entrepreneurship; social reformer; social activists, social policy; problem solution; social groups; social issues

Blaming the victim, all over again: Waddell and Aylward’s biopsychosocial (BPS) model of disability

The biopsychosocial model (BPS) of mental distress, originally conceived by American psychiatrist George Engel in the 1970s and commonly used in psychiatry and psychology, has been adapted by Gordon Waddell and Mansel Aylward to form the theoretical basis for current UK government thinking on disability. Most importantly, the Waddell and Aylward version of the BPS has played a key role as the government has sought to reform spending on out-of-work disability benefits. This article critiques Waddell and Aylward’s model, examining its origins, its claims and the evidence it employs. We argue that its potential for genuine interdisciplinary cooperation and the holistic and humanistic benefits for disabled people as envisaged by Engel are not now, if they ever have been, fully realised. Any potential benefit it may have offered has been eclipsed by its role in Coalition/Conservative government social welfare policies that have blamed the victim and justified restriction of entitlements.

Habitus Clivé and the Emotional Imprint of Social Mobility

Increasing social mobility is the ‘principal goal’ of the British Government's social policy ( Cabinet Office, 2011 : 5). However, while policy perspectives present mobility as an unambiguously progressive force, there is a striking absence of studies looking at the impact of mobility on individuals themselves. Drawing on 39 lifecourse interviews with upwardly mobile respondents drawn from the UK Cultural Capital and Social Exclusion Project (CCSE), this paper examines how mobility affects the psychic and emotional life of the individual. More specifically, it examines how mobility influences social, familial and intimate relationships, as well as the ontological coherence of the self. Following Bourdieu's (2004 : 127) description of his own upward trajectory, the paper argues that the concept of a divided habitus, or habitus clivé, may be particularly useful for understanding some iterations of the contemporary mobility experience, particularly its most long-range forms. Such a concept, it argues, helps explain how the emotional pull of class loyalties can entangle subjects in the affinities of the past, and why – despite prevailing political rhetoric – upward mobility may remain a state that not everyone unequivocally aspires to.

Soviet health care measures in Ukraine in the 1920s and 1930s.

The article explores the main activities of the Soviet leaders in the field of health care in Ukraine. It deals with the main regularities of formation and functioning of the health system, especially the provision of medical care to different groups. The author focuses on the creation of health care government agencies and shows important positive and negative aspects in the development of this sphere of the Soviet government social policy.

Why do Americans dislike publicly funded health care? Examining the intersection of race and gender in the ideological context

What explains individuals’ support to government social policy provision? Many scholars consider economic factors, such as income and risk, as the key determinants of social policy preferences. However, economic self-interest is not the solo determinant of policy preference, particularly in the health care domain. The social identity approach of policy preferences argues one's social identification shapes her policy preferences. We recognize the strength of the social identity literature, but view its lack of consideration for the intersection of multiple identities as a shortcoming. Using an intersectional approach and data from the 2012 General Social Survey, we examine how political ideology colors the effects of two ascriptive identities – race and gender – in shaping individuals’ health care preferences. Findings suggest that neither race nor gender independently explains health care attitudes. Instead, connecting ideology with the intersection between race and gender offers a more comprehensive account of how sub-population groups differ in their attitudes toward the role of government in health care. This timely analysis captures the complexity of Americans’ health care attitudes and brings the intersectionality approach to the social policy literature.

Recognizing the value of assistance dogs in society

Assistance dogs are specially trained to undertake a variety of tasks to help individuals with disabilities. This review gives an overview of the different types of assistance dogs in the UK, including guide dogs, hearing dogs, mobility assistance dogs, service dogs and dual-purpose dogs. The literature describes many benefits of assistance dogs, including their impact on physical wellbeing and safety of their ‘owners,’ as well as on psychological wellbeing and social inclusion. The role of assistance dogs in society is widely recognized by the public, but is not currently acknowledged in government social policy. The current evidence on the benefits of assistance dogs is limited by the type and scale of current research. This article highlights the need for independent funding for high quality research to enable social care and policy makers to make evidence-based decisions on the value of assistance dogs to people with disabilities.

Payment for Health Care and Perception of the National Health Insurance Scheme in a Rural Area in Southwest Nigeria.

Health insurance coverage of the informal sector is a challenge in Nigeria. This study assessed the methods of payment for health care and awareness about the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) among members of selected households in a rural area in the southwest of Nigeria. Using a multistage sampling technique, a semi-structured, pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 345 households. The majority of the people still pay for health care by out-of-pocket (OOP) method. Awareness about the NHIS in Nigeria was poor, but attitude to it was encouraging; and from the responses obtained, the people implied that they were willing to enroll in the scheme if the opportunity is offered. However, lack of trust in government social policies, religious belief, and poverty were some of the factors that might impede the implementation and expansion of the NHIS in the informal sector. Stakeholders should promote socioculturally appropriate awareness program about the NHIS and its benefits. Factors that might present challenges to the scheme should be adequately addressed by the government and other stakeholders associated with prepayment schemes in Nigeria.

The ‘investment approach’ is not an investment approach

A centrepiece of government social policy is the so-called ‘Investment Approach’ currently being used in the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). There are active plans to expand it into other social services. The attractive concept of an investment approach to public policy has been around for many years, but is that what this approach is really advocating?

Financialization and the Push for Non-state Social Service Provision: Philanthropic Activities of Islamic and Conventional Banks in Turkey

Over the past decade, Islamic Financial Institutions substantially increased their market share in Turkey, and demonstrated an impressive growth rate. In promoting this sector, Turkish entrepreneurs also make a moral claim, suggesting that their profit motivations are justified by a religious concern because wealth generated through halal means indirectly helps out the poor and the needy. Yet, though these entrepreneurs frequently invoke religious morals to justify their strategies, Islamic banks appear only occasionally engaged in systematic acts of charitable giving. Why do conventional banks in Turkey engage more systematically with social welfare-related philanthropy projects while their Islamic counterparts seem less interested in similar activities? The article brings state back in and finds that this variation is an unintended consequence of the current government's social policy reforms. After election into office in 2002, Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (AKP, Justice and Development Party) promoted greater private involvement in public goods provision in return for offering economic privileges to partisan business groups – including Islamic banks. During this process, the government encouraged religious business groups to work with faith-based NGOs and local government agencies, capitalizing on existing partisan and solidarity networks to increase political returns. Consequently, while Islamic banks rely on religious associations and channel their contribution through Islamic charity NGOs that command a broader geographic outreach in collaboration with local government actors, conventional banks that are not part of similar societal networks either carry out independent corporate philanthropy schemes or collaborate with national government agencies.

THE ANALYSIS OF METALLURGICAL COMPANIES ATTRACTIVENESS

The article is dedicated to the nonprofit sector as one of the most important economy sectors in the field of the government social policy, participating in creation of jobs and able to contribute to the GNP. The article notes problems the nonprofit organizations in Russia are faced. The author believes that the taxation of the nonprofit sector presents especially difficult ones among other problems regulating the nonprofit sector activity. The article discusses different kinds of nonprofit organizations funding, the taxation of these funds, organizational and legal forms of nonprofit organizations, application of various privileges and soft taxation. The author presents examples of foreign experience in the field of nonprofit organizations regulation and taxation, demonstrates how the state can regulate the financing and investments in nonprofit sector. Basing on the analysis of the present situation in Russia the author puts forward proposals to modify the fiscal policy in different spheres relating to the nonprofit organizations taxation.

IP and Other Regulations

Intellectual property (IP) is a form of regulation. Once we understand IP laws as government social policies that seek to alter market outcomes, we can start to think of those laws as part of a broader tapestry of government rules that affect innovation in a complex variety of ways. Sometimes governments encourage innovation by rewarding it. Sometimes they encourage innovation by restricting market entry, giving incumbents supracompetitive returns by insulating them from competition. IP does both of these at various points. Market-entry regulation is a troubling way to encourage innovation, because in many cases it is competition, not monopoly, that drives technical progress. But a third type of regulation can actually open rather than close markets, and offers the prospect of encouraging innovation not by impeding competition but by encouraging it. Antitrust and net neutrality may fit within this last category.