Globalism, Regionalism and Social Policy: Framing the Debate

First let us define social policy. Social policy may be defined in a number of
ways that complement each other. Broadly speaking, it refers to “collective
interventions directly affecting transformation in social welfare, social
institutions and social relations” (Mkandawire 2001:1). At one level it is about
policies and practices that support the means of social participation – typically
those services in the domains of health and social care, income maintenance,
employment (or livelihoods), housing and education. At another level social
policy may be understood as those mechanisms, policies and procedures used
by governments, working with other actors, to alter the distributive and social
outcomes of economic activity. These mechanisms and policies may be
conceptualised as being constituted of three strands: redistribution, regulation
and rights. Redistribution mechanisms alter, usually in a way as to make more
equal, the distributive outcomes of economic activity. Regulatory activity
frames the activities of businesses and other private actors so that they take
more account of social aims and impacts. The articulation of social rights leads
to some (more or less) effective legislative and institutional mechanisms to
ensure citizens access their rights. Social Policy within one country is made up,
then, of Social Redistribution, Social Regulation and the promulgation of
Social Rights...
First let us define social policy. Social policy may be defined in a number of
ways that complement each other. Broadly speaking, it refers to “collective
interventions directly affecting transformation in social welfare, social
institutions and social relations” (Mkandawire 2001:1). At one level it is about
policies and practices that support the means of social participation – typically
those services in the domains of health and social care, income maintenance,
employment (or livelihoods), housing and education. At another level social
policy may be understood as those mechanisms, policies and procedures used
by governments, working with other actors, to alter the distributive and social
outcomes of economic activity. These mechanisms and policies may be
conceptualised as being constituted of three strands: redistribution, regulation
and rights. Redistribution mechanisms alter, usually in a way as to make more
equal, the distributive outcomes of economic activity. Regulatory activity
frames the activities of businesses and other private actors so that they take
more account of social aims and impacts. The articulation of social rights leads
to some (more or less) effective legislative and institutional mechanisms to
ensure citizens access their rights. Social Policy within one country is made up,
then, of Social Redistribution, Social Regulation and the promulgation of
Social Rights...