Theorizing Social Policy in Development Contexts

Abstract

A theory of ‘social policy in development contexts’ is a desideratum, since Northern theories cannot be simply applied to the South. This chapter outlines a sociological theory of social policy that covers North and South. The emphasis is on processes of social recognition, complementing political economy approaches that focus on redistribution. Building on F.-X. Kaufmann, the chapter develops an ‘onion skin model’ that maps the cognitive and normative foundations of social policy on four layers or ‘skins’. The model specifies layered political commitments that reflect recognition of the ‘social’, linked to discursive frames. The argument is that social policy is predicated on the articulation of political commitments to the social at four layers, in conjunction with powerful frames, such as human rights or a collective use for society. To specify the ‘social’, T. H. Marshall’s work on social citizenship is revisited. Ways of measuring theoretical concepts are also discussed.