Suchergebnisse

Cover -- Half title -- Titlepage -- Copyright page -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of Exhibits, Figures and Tables -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- 1 Social Policy and Social Policy Analysis -- Why look at social policy making? -- What is policy? -- What is social policy? -- What is policy analysis? -- Who are policy analysts? -- Themes and developments under the Conservatives, 1979 to 1997 -- Policy, administration and management -- Intellectual challenges -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 2 Perspectives on Policy Making -- Why do we use models of policy and decision making? -- Agenda-setting -- Three dimensions of power -- Rationalism and incrementalism -- The power of bureaucracies -- Perspectives on bureaucracies -- Street-level bureaucrats -- Implementation -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 3 Power and Policy -- Pluralism -- Corporatism -- The dual state thesis -- Policy communities and policy networks -- Regime theory -- Institutional theory -- Elite theory -- Marxist perspectives -- Public choice theories -- Globalisation -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 4 Central Government -- What is central government? -- The core executive -- The Cabinet -- Senior civil servants -- The civil service -- Parliament -- The judiciary -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 5 Multi-Level Governance -- The European Union -- Sub-central government -- Devolution -- Local government -- 'Partnership' -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 6 Quasi-Government -- What is quasi-government? -- The origins and growth of quangos -- The uses and abuses of quasi-government -- Next Steps agencies -- Reforming quasi-government -- Labour and quasi-government -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 7 Participation -- Approaches to participation -- User involvement -- Political parties -- The voluntary sector -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 8 Evaluation.

Abstract
This article utilises the idea of procedural justice ('fair processes') as a tool for analysing the ways in which Parliament engages with the public. It concludes that the engagement work of individual services in Parliament often reflects such ideas, and suggests that procedural justice could have value in bringing new insights to the work of Parliament in this area.

AbstractThe creation of the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Parliament not only saw a shift in responsibility and democratic accountability for many areas of policy, including significant areas of social policy, but also provided the opportunity for the Parliament and the Assembly to adopt 'transformative reforms designed to expand the opportunities for citizens to connect with their governments' (Carman 2006: 4). One such reform, which was associated with aims of increased access and openness, was the introduction of petitions systems in the new legislatures.Drawing on case studies from the devolved level, this article explores one of the less researched non‐traditional forms of participation to examine how and what petitions can contribute to social policy. In particular, it seeks to explore the extent to which petitions systems challenge or replicate existing inequalities; what voices and interests they enable to be heard; and what impact they can have on social policy and social policies.

This article explores a key element of New Labour's modernisation programme - that of participation in the public policy and decision making processes. Whilst this may appear to be a relatively straightforward concept, its translation into practice can be complex and confusing, which may in turn impact on the policy making process and potentially on policy outcomes. The involvement of groups such as 'users' might be seen as a rational approach to the policy process, however little consideration has been given to the process once people are involved, on the effects this may have on participants, or on the relevance and usefulness of policy outcomes. This article argues that one dimension that has been largely neglected is the capacities in which people participate in the decision making processes and argues for the need to develop a more focussed approach. This would require much greater consideration than at present of the distinction between participation undertaken by individuals and that carried out through groups. This would make a significant contribution to policy making as it would help to clarify the focus and intention of participation for different initiatives; for those who seek to encourage participation; and for those who participate, so that they are clear in what capacity they are participating.

While significant attention has been paid to the levels of representation of women in both the Westminster Parliament and the Scottish Parliament, much less consideration has been given to the position within local government. This article addresses that deficit for Scotland. It shows that for twenty-five years following the reorganisation of local government in Scotland in 1974 there was a slow but relatively steady increase in the numbers of female candidates and councillors, although more recently this appears to have plateaued somewhat, together with a similar increase in the number of women councillors taking up more senior roles in Scotland's councils. The article analyses the representation of women in Scottish local government over the period from 1974 to 2012 against the backdrop of significant change in Scotland, including a further restructuring of local government and the introduction of the Single Transferable Vote for council elections, the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the rise of the SNP and the decline of the Conservative Party.

Social Policy and Society is now in its tenth year of publication, following the successful editorships, initially of Tony Maltby, and then Pete Dwyer and Sharon Wright. As has been the case since its inception, the journal seeks to publish high-quality original material that makes a contribution to the understanding of social policy in a concise and focused format. It does that through the open section, with articles of up to 5,000 words, and through the guest-edited themed section in each issue. The former allows for the publication of work from any area of social policy, while the latter provides the opportunity for a set of articles around a particular theme.