Book Review: P. Spicker (2008) Social Policy: Themes and Approaches (2nd edition) Bristol: Policy Press, ISBN: 987-1-84742-063-3 (hbk), ISBN: 978—1—84742— 062—6 (pbk)
| Published date | 01 July 2010 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0952076709356879 |
| Author | Janet Newman |
| Date | 01 July 2010 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
ßThe Author(s), 2010.
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0952-0767
201007 25(3) 329–330
Book Review
P. Spicker (2008)
Social Policy: Themes and Approaches (2nd edition)
Bristol: Policy Press, ISBN: 987-1-84742-063-3 (hbk), ISBN: 978–1–84742–
062–6 (pbk)
In many ways one can see why this text has run to a second edition. Directed at
students, it offers explanations of basic concepts and opens up some of the
debates that have traditionally defined the discipline of social policy. Organized
in four sections, the first – Social Policy and Society – focuses on the function of
welfare in society, and how it addresses problems and needs. The second, on
Policy, describes both the ‘principles and values’ of social policy and its rela-
tionship to welfare states and processes of governance. The third, on social
administration, describes the arrangements through which policy is administered
and services provided; while the fourth sets out the ‘methods and approaches’ of
social policy. This is a logical structure, but sets up a number of difficulties that
are challenged elsewhere in the literature: for example the separation of policy
from administration, of users and providers, of welfare states and welfare ser-
vices. The interesting issues, I would argue, arise in the necessary links between
the issues that are here separated; and the brief section on ‘receiving welfare’ at
the end of Part 3 affords citizens and service users a very residual role.
Although titled ‘social policy’ the review of the contents suggests that this is
more of a social administration text. As such its approach and reach have a
decidedly old fashioned slant. This produces two main problems. First, the text
looks back to a functionalist conception of social science. This functionalist ori-
entation offers a state centric view of policy, and very traditional conception of
DOI: 10.1177/0952076709356879 329
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