Reclaiming Social Policy : Globalization, Social Exclusion and New Poverty Reduction Strategies

Reclaiming Social Policy re-evaluates the importance of social policies in the shaping of well-being and combating exclusion, and enhance critical understanding of how these policies are constituted in a globalising world. Written from a practitioner's perspective, the core concern of the book is the capacity for policy making required to protect groups from becoming excluded, promote inclusion, and avoid sharpening of trends towards marginalization. The book emphasises the context- and path-dependence of patterns and policies of inclusion and exclusion, and provides a normative and practical framework for supporting social policy making. Processes Of Globalization Have Made National Social Policy Increasingly Important. For Successful Integration Into The World Economy, Countries Across The World - And Particularly Those That Are Poorest - Need Better Policies For Social Protection, Health, Education, And Labour Markets. This Book Argues That International Development Should Be More Forceful In Supporting The Capacity For Public Policy Formulation And Implementation. The Author Brings Together Development Theory And Practice, And Provides A Major Contribution To The Recent Studies On Social Policy In A Development Context. Reclaiming Social Policy Provides A Normative And Practical Framework For Supporting Social Policy Making. Departing From A Rights-approach, It Calls For Grounding Public Policies In A Conception Of The State's Responsibility To Allow People To Develop Their Capabilities. It Provides A Practical Guide To Assessing Social Policy Frameworks, Regarding Access, Quality, Relevance And Participation. Introduction: Why Focus On Social Policy? -- Globalization, Inequality, And The Demise Of The State? -- Integrating Social And Economic Policies -- Evolving Social Policies: The Importance Of National Contexts -- Structural Adjustment, Poverty Analysis And The Safety Nets Paradigm -- New Poverty Reduction Strategies And The Missing Middle -- Conclusion: A Framework For Social Policy. Arjan De Haan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 160-187) And Index. "Processes of globalization have made national social policy increasingly important. For successful integration into the world economy, countries across the world - and particularly those that are the poorest - need better policies for social protection, health, education and labour markets. This book argues that international development should be more forceful in supporting the capacity for public policy formulation and implementation."--BOOK JACKET. This book re-evaluates the importance of social policies in shaping well-being and combating exclusion, and enhances understanding of how these policies are formed in a globalizing world. It emphasises the context- and path-dependence of patterns and policies of inclusion and exclusion, and provides a framework for supporting social policy making.