Thirteen Participation and social policy: transformation, liberation or regulation?
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Peter Beresford
Abstract
This chapter aims to put participation in social policy in an ideological, historical and theoretical context. To do this, the chapter will identify the two dominant modern political discourses, which in the UK and beyond have provided the context for this discussion. It will also outline the development of counter discourses from social care and welfare service users1, and explore the two key competing ideologies that have underpinned different models and understandings of participation, and examine the implications of these different approaches to participation, considering their regressive and liberatory potential. Finally, the chapter will also begin to examine the possibilities and problems now being highlighted for participation in social policy in theory and practice, taking the UK as a case study with wider implications.
One of the ironies of participation, which has so far largely passed without serious comment, is that while its conceptualisation and practice are ostensibly centrally concerned with involving and including people, in its own modern usage, it has generally tended to be abstracted and treated in isolation. There have been some discussions of the socio-economics, politics and ideology of participation, but these have been limited in number and range (for example, Pateman, 1970; Held, 1987). In contrast a much greater interest has developed in the ‘technicalities’ of participation, reflected in the production of a large and rapidly growing body of ‘how to do it’ manuals, courses and consultants (for example, Hanley et al, 2000; VSO, 2001). The emphasis is on techniques for and the findings from participation. There is even a national competition to identify the most ‘successful’ initiatives for public involvement run by The Guardian newspaper and Institute for Public Policy Research (Dean, 2000).
Abstract
This chapter aims to put participation in social policy in an ideological, historical and theoretical context. To do this, the chapter will identify the two dominant modern political discourses, which in the UK and beyond have provided the context for this discussion. It will also outline the development of counter discourses from social care and welfare service users1, and explore the two key competing ideologies that have underpinned different models and understandings of participation, and examine the implications of these different approaches to participation, considering their regressive and liberatory potential. Finally, the chapter will also begin to examine the possibilities and problems now being highlighted for participation in social policy in theory and practice, taking the UK as a case study with wider implications.
One of the ironies of participation, which has so far largely passed without serious comment, is that while its conceptualisation and practice are ostensibly centrally concerned with involving and including people, in its own modern usage, it has generally tended to be abstracted and treated in isolation. There have been some discussions of the socio-economics, politics and ideology of participation, but these have been limited in number and range (for example, Pateman, 1970; Held, 1987). In contrast a much greater interest has developed in the ‘technicalities’ of participation, reflected in the production of a large and rapidly growing body of ‘how to do it’ manuals, courses and consultants (for example, Hanley et al, 2000; VSO, 2001). The emphasis is on techniques for and the findings from participation. There is even a national competition to identify the most ‘successful’ initiatives for public involvement run by The Guardian newspaper and Institute for Public Policy Research (Dean, 2000).
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Notes on contributors v
- The year in social policy 1
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UK developments
- Modernising primary healthcare in England: the role of Primary Care Groups and Trusts 15
- Devolution in England: coping with post-industrial industrial regions – issues of territorial inequality 37
- Reconstituting social policy: the case of Northern Ireland 57
- ‘Revolutionising’ care for people with learning difficulties? The Labour government’s Learning Disabilities Strategy 85
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International developments
- Globalisation and welfare: a meso-level analysis 107
- The ‘anti-globalisation’ movement and its implications for social policy 127
- Migration policy in Europe: contradictions and continuities 151
- The European Union’s social policy focus: from labour to welfare and constitutionalised rights? 171
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Conceptual developments
- The politics and economics of disciplining an inclusive and exclusive society 199
- Green social welfare: an investigation into political attitudes towards ecological critiques and prescriptions concerning the welfare state 225
- Using social capital in the policy context: challenging the orthodoxy 249
- Participation and social policy: transformation, liberation or regulation? 265
- Index 291
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Notes on contributors v
- The year in social policy 1
-
UK developments
- Modernising primary healthcare in England: the role of Primary Care Groups and Trusts 15
- Devolution in England: coping with post-industrial industrial regions – issues of territorial inequality 37
- Reconstituting social policy: the case of Northern Ireland 57
- ‘Revolutionising’ care for people with learning difficulties? The Labour government’s Learning Disabilities Strategy 85
-
International developments
- Globalisation and welfare: a meso-level analysis 107
- The ‘anti-globalisation’ movement and its implications for social policy 127
- Migration policy in Europe: contradictions and continuities 151
- The European Union’s social policy focus: from labour to welfare and constitutionalised rights? 171
-
Conceptual developments
- The politics and economics of disciplining an inclusive and exclusive society 199
- Green social welfare: an investigation into political attitudes towards ecological critiques and prescriptions concerning the welfare state 225
- Using social capital in the policy context: challenging the orthodoxy 249
- Participation and social policy: transformation, liberation or regulation? 265
- Index 291
