Assess the Relationship Between Sociology and Social Policy - Top Grade Answer

Assess the relationship between sociology and social policy (33 marks)

In order to be able to understand the relationship between sociology and social policy we must first establish the meaning of sociology and social policy. Social policy refers to the actions, plans and programmes of government bodies and agencies that aim to deal with social problems. A social problem is an area of concern in society that causes public friction and calls for collective action to resolve it, for example educational underachievement.

According to Mills, the aim of sociology is to explain and uncover social problems through sociological research and suggest policy solutions. However, whilst some sociologists are interested in researching social problems for the use of social policy, not all sociologists study social problems. According to Worsley, sociologists often study sociological problems, in other words, any behaviour we wish to make sense of. For these sociologists, social policy has no relationship with sociology, as their research is trying to explain sociological problems rather than offer solutions for social problems. Nevertheless, even when sociologists study social problems there is disagreement as to whether sociological research can influence social policy.

In Gidden’s view, there is a clear relationship between sociology and social policy. He argues that sociology can influence social policies as sociological research can inform policy makers of social problems, for example they may uncover a high rate of suicide among youths. Through highlighting such problems in society, their research may encourage policy makers to intervene.

Sociologists may also be appointed by the government agencies to carry out research for them in order to assess the effectiveness of policies, or the extent of social problems. For example, in 2004, Middleton et al were assigned to assess the usefulness of EMA in increasing student participation. They found that participation...