A new book drew together contributions by practitioners and academics in social work, probation, and counselling to examine the relationship between theory, policy, and practice. The contributors argued that the use of theory in studying policy and practice was overall a positive and necessary development: but they also highlighted a number of methodological problems and philosophical issues for critical reflection.
Source: Steven Smith (ed.), Applying Theory to Policy and Practice: Issues for critical reflection, Ashgate Publications (01235 827730)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Dec
A new book presented a wide-ranging overview of the achievements and failures of the Blair governments of 1997-2007, including their impact on social policy.
Source: Anthony Seldon (ed.), Blair's Britain, 1997-2007, Cambridge University Press (01223 312393)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Nov
A new book examined the meaning and framing of policy – how policy was 'contested, shaped, and accounted for'.
Source: Susan Hodgson and Zoe Irving, Policy Reconsidered: Meanings, politics and practices, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Nov
An article examined key areas of commonality and difference between approaches to systematic reviews in social policy.
Source: Mark Pearson, 'Systematic reviews in social policy: to go forward, do we first need to look back?', Evidence & Policy, Volume 3 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Nov
A new book examined contemporary policy-making and the competencies required for good policy-making in government.
Source: Hugh Bochel and Sue Duncan (eds.), Making Policy in Theory and Practice, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Oct
A new book examined the actual and potential effectiveness of social policy across a range of different policy areas.
Source: John Hills, Julian Le Grand and David Piachaud (eds.), Making Social Policy Work, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Oct
A think-tank report examined how social innovations spread. It highlighted the weaknesses that inhibited the social impact of ideas, and what needed to be done to increase the impact of ideas that addressed some of the major social issues.
Source: Geoff Mulgan with Rushanara Ali, Richard Halkett and Ben Sanders, In and Out of Sync: The challenge of growing social innovations, Young Foundation (020 8980 6263) and NESTA
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Sep
A draft discussion paper examined how government policy could be used to encourage particular courses of action and behaviour in cases where powerful 'cultural' factors were at work. It set out the state of knowledge about culture change and how this could be practically used to inform policy development.
Source: David Knott with Stephen Muers and Stephen Aldridge, Achieving Culture Change: A policy framework, Strategy Unit/Cabinet Office (020 7276 1881)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Aug
A new book examined the contribution interest groups made to the democratic involvement of citizens. It considered how interest groups were formed, and how they maintained themselves – focusing specifically on the supply-side dimension of group membership.
Source: Grant Jordan and William Maloney, Democracy and Interest Groups: Enhancing participation?, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Aug
An article examined the use of evidence-based policy-making by the New Labour government since 1997. Evaluative research provided a richer basis to inform policy and practice when it was undertaken with an understanding of political ideas, institutions, and contexts.
Source: Peter Wells, 'New Labour and evidence based policy making: 1997-2007', People, Place & Policy, Volume 1 Issue 1
Links: Article
Date: 2007-Jul
A new book offered critical analyses of progress and change in areas of major social policy interest during the previous year.
Source: Karen Clarke, Tony Maltby and Patricia Kennett (eds.), Social Policy Review 19: Analysis and debate in social policy, 2007, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Jul
The government began consultation on how it consulted businesses, the third sector, and citizens when it made significant decisions. It said that it wanted to improve the effectiveness of consultation by looking at what questions were asked, who was asked, and how the government could best take into account the feedback it received.
Source: Effective Consultation, Cabinet Office (020 7261 8527)
Links: Consultation document | Cabinet Office press release | Personnel Today report
Date: 2007-Jun
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on long-term policy issues in government, and the ways in which Parliament and the public were engaged in the process. It said that it was committed to making strategic thinking and planning in government as open and rigorous a process as possible.
Source: Government Response to the Public Administration Select Committee's Second Report of Session 2006-2007 'Governing the Future', Cm 7145, Cabinet Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2007-Jun
A report made recommendations designed to provide a secure legal basis for campaigning activities by voluntary bodies.
Source: (Untitled) Report of Advisory Group on Campaigning and the Voluntary Sector, Bates Wells & Braithwaite (020 7551 7777)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-May
A report examined the role of organizations campaigning for progressive social change. It made a series of recommendations intended to support campaigning organizations in raising awareness and responding to pressing and unmet needs.
Source: Paul Hilder with Julie Caulier-Grice and Kate Lalor, Contentious Citizens: Civil society?s role in campaigning for social change, Young Foundation (020 8980 6263)
Links: Report | Summary | Young Foundation press release
Date: 2007-May
A think-tank report said that the Whitehall policy-making process was closed and insular; that there was a gulf between those designing policy in Whitehall and those delivering it on the front-line; and that policy was not evaluated on a systematic and ongoing basis.
Source: Guy Lodge and Susanna Kalitowski, Innovations in Government: International perspectives on civil service reform, Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100)
Links: Report | IPPR press release | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Apr
An article examined and contrasted the approaches taken by two English local authorities in seeking more participatory approaches to environmental policy-making. Strong state management of networks was required if policy-making was to proceed in a more inclusive manner. The most effective routes to participatory policy-making might rely heavily on 'manipulation strategies', despite the fact that these were frequently described as weaker (or lower) forms of participation.
Source: John Hudson, Stuart Lowe, Natalie Oscroft and Carolyn Snell, 'Activating policy networks: A case study of local environmental policy-making in the United Kingdom', Policy Studies, Volume 28 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Mar
The High Court ruled that the consultation process in 2006 on the government's nuclear power plans had been 'misleading', 'seriously flawed', and 'procedurally unfair'. The government said that it would not appeal: instead it would postpone publication of its White Paper on energy, and consult again.
Source: Greenpeace Ltd, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, High Court 15 February 2007 | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 22 February 2007, columns 63-64WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of judgement | DTI press release | Hansard | Greenpeace press release | SDC press release | RTPI press release | CBI press release | BBC report | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | FT report
Date: 2007-Feb
A think-tank report examined how 'citizens' initiatives' could revitalize politics (citizens' initiatives would allow voters both to propose and to vote on legislation, bypassing the legislature).
Source: Matt Qvortrup, Supply Side Politics: How citizens' initiatives could revitalise British politics, Centre for Policy Studies (020 7222 4488)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Feb
A new book examined the role of Parliament in the formulation and scrutiny of welfare policy, focusing in particular on how MPs and peers viewed their influence on policy.
Source: Hugh Bochel and Andrew Defty, Welfare Policy under New Labour: Views from inside Westminster, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Jan
An article said that existing models of the evidence?policy relationship neglected the tendency for attention to be paid only to that evidence helpful to the interests of powerful social groups. An evolutionary analogy was used to explain how this bias arose.
Source: Alex Stevens, 'Survival of the ideas that fit: an evolutionary analogy for the use of evidence in policy', Social Policy and Society, Volume 6 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Jan
An article examined unusual features in design work for a programme for job retention and advancement for disadvantaged workers - including the location of the core project team performing the design work at the Cabinet Office, rather than at the department initiating the project or the department implementing it; the multidisciplinary core project team; the use of external, including American, consultants; the use of random assignment; and the integration of the evaluation design into the programme design.
Source: David Greenberg and Lindsey Poole, 'Designing a social experiment for the UK: how it was done and some lessons learned', Evidence & Policy, Volume 3 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Jan