The Civic Origins of Progressive Policy Change: Combating Violence against Women in Global Perspective, 1975–2005

2012 ◽  
Vol 106 (3) ◽  
pp. 548-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
MALA HTUN ◽  
S. LAUREL WELDON
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Policy Change ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Original Dataset ◽  
Important Concern ◽  
Progressive Policy

Over the past four decades, violence against women (VAW) has come to be seen as a violation of human rights and an important concern for social policy. Yet government action remains uneven. Some countries have adopted comprehensive policies to combat VAW, whereas others have been slow to address the problem. Using an original dataset of social movements and VAW policies in 70 countries over four decades, we show that feminist mobilization in civil society—not intra-legislative political phenomena such as leftist parties or women in government or economic factors like national wealth—accounts for variation in policy development. In addition, we demonstrate that autonomous movements produce an enduring impact on VAW policy through the institutionalization of feminist ideas in international norms. This study brings national and global civil society into large-n explanations of social policy, arguing that analysis of civil society in general—and of social movements in particular—is critical to understanding progressive social policy change.

scholarly journals Social Movements and Social Policy: New Research Horizons

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
ARMINE ISHKANIAN
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Continuity And Change ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
Policy Fields ◽  
Progressive Policy ◽  
New Research

Abstract Across the globe, movements are confronting states and elites, challenging inequalities and mobilising for greater justice, a stronger voice, and progressive policy changes. In this article, I bridge the divide between Social Policy and the interdisciplinary field of Social Movement Studies. I examine how and why social movements, as actors in policy fields and social movement theories, matter for social policy. I argue that research on social movements as actors and engagement with social movement theories can open new horizons in Social Policy research by advancing our understanding of the politics of policy from a global perspective and strengthening our analytical and explanatory frameworks of agency, ideas, and power in the study of continuity and change of policy.

scholarly journals Civic Origins of Progressive Policy Change: Combating Violence against Women in Global Perspective, 1975–2005—CORRIGENDUM

2015 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-201
Author(s):  
MALA HTUN ◽  
S. LAUREL WELDON
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Policy Change ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
World Conference ◽  
Amnesty International ◽  
Human Rights Organizations ◽  
Progressive Policy ◽  
Core Issues

On page 556 of the article by Htun and Weldon (2012) it is stated that, “Before Vienna [the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights], mainstream human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International did not treat rape and domestic violence as core issues of human rights. (These organizations now have women's rights projects.)”

Social Movements, Brexit and Social Policy

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armine Ishkanian
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Fertile Ground ◽  
Governance Institutions ◽  
The 2008 Financial Crisis ◽  
Economic Developments ◽  
The Relationship

In this article, I examine the relationship between social movements, Brexit and social policy and consider how political and socio-economic developments since the 2008 financial crisis helped create a fertile ground for Brexit. I query the assumption that Brexit was simply a result of those left behind by globalisation and instead explore why and how actors from across the ideological spectrum supported Brexit and examine the sources of discontent which created the conditions from which Brexit emerged. To understand the relationship, role and impact of social movements and, more widely, civil society on social policy, I argue that it is important to critically examine how diverse actors within civil society are campaigning for the recognition of unmet needs and challenging systems of redistribution and the ways in which they interact and engage with governance institutions and policy processes.

Global Perspective on Violence of Women and Children: Advocacy on Preventing 21st Century Slavery

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernice Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Current Status ◽  
The Social ◽  
Women And Children ◽  
Victims Of Violence ◽  
Rights Issue

Violence against women and children is a public health problem. Furthermore, violence against women is a human rights issue affecting women and children around the globe. Structure violence is often embedded in the world system which is centered on social inequalities among various populations in countries especially women and children. Lack of equality and empowerment socially, culturally and politically keep women from overcoming subjugation of violence. Around the globe, women and children lack basic rights of protection from the abuse from perpetrators. Globalization has increased the condition for “new slavery” because it transcends national borders. Therefore, knowledge and awareness of global violence of women and children have increased globally. This paper identified the common global violence acts toward women and children around the globe. The author developed a model used as a guide for conceptualizing the social inequalities of women and children around the globe contributing to their violence: Global Model for Conceptualizing Violence against Women and Children. In this model, access to health and human services is needed for women and children victims of violence around the globe. The current status and future needs of policy development are addressed.

scholarly journals “We don’t have any answers within the current framework”: tensions within cannabis policy change in Ireland

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Ó. Rálaigh ◽  
Sarah Morton
Keyword(s):  
Policy Change ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Deliberative Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy Positions ◽  
Policy Window ◽  
Progressive Policy ◽  
Cannabis Policy

Purpose International policy approaches to cannabis production and use are changing rapidly, and within the Irish context, alternatives to prohibition are being considered. This study aims to explore policymaker’s attitudes towards the decriminalisation and legal regulation of cannabis for recreational use in the midst of an unfolding policy process, examining the degree which a “policy window” might be open for the implementation of cannabis policy change. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were held with eight key informants within the policy field in Dublin, Ireland. Kingdon’s (2014) Multiple Streams framework was used to consider whether the problems, policy and political streams were aligning to support progressive policy change. Findings Irish policymakers indicated broad support for the decriminalisation of cannabis. The legal regulation of cannabis received more qualified support. Existing policy was heavily criticised with criminalisation identified as a clear failure. Of particular interest was the willingness of policymakers to offer opinions which contrasted with the policy positions of their organisations. While a policy window did open – and close – subsequent governmental commitments to examine the issue of drugs policy in a more deliberative process in the near future highlight the incremental nature of policy change. Originality/value This study provides unique insight into the opinions of policymakers in the midst of a prolonged period of policy evolution. A latent aspiration for historical policy change was situated within the realpolitik of more traditional approaches to policy development, demonstrating that the alignment of Kingdon’s (2014) problem, policy and political streams are essential for change in cannabis policy.

STAGES IN SOCIAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 265-272
Author(s):  
Venelin Terziev ◽  
Preslava Dimitrova
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
National Society ◽  
Complex Approach ◽  
The Social ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The social policy of a country is a set of specific activities aimed at regulating the social relations between different in their social status subjects. This approach to clarifying social policy is also called functional and essentially addresses social policy as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality in society. It provides an opportunity to look for inequalities in the economic positions of individuals in relation to ownership, labor and working conditions, distribution of income and consumption, social security and health, to look for the sources of these inequalities and their social justification or undue application.The modern state takes on social functions that seek to regulate imbalances, to protect weak social positions and prevent the disintegration of the social system. It regulates the processes in society by harmonizing interests and opposing marginalization. Every modern country develops social activities that reflect the specifics of a particular society, correspond to its economic, political and cultural status. They are the result of political decisions aimed at directing and regulating the process of adaptation of the national society to the transformations of the market environment. Social policy is at the heart of the development and governance of each country. Despite the fact that too many factors and problems affect it, it largely determines the physical and mental state of the population as well as the relationships and interrelationships between people. On the other hand, social policy allows for a more global study and solving of vital social problems of civil society. On the basis of the programs and actions of political parties and state bodies, the guidelines for the development of society are outlined. Social policy should be seen as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality between different individuals and social groups in society. Its importance is determined by the possibility of establishing on the basis of the complex approach: the economic positions of the different social groups and individuals, by determining the differences between them in terms of income, consumption, working conditions, health, etc .; to explain the causes of inequality; to look for concrete and specific measures to overcome the emerging social disparities.

War and Social Policy Development in Switzerland, 1870–1990

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthieu Leimgruber
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Social Insurance ◽  
State Building ◽  
Social Citizenship ◽  
Military Conflict ◽  
The World ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
Public Private Mix

This chapter explores the trajectory of social policy development in Switzerland and its interactions with state-building and military conflict from the Franco-Prussian war of the early 1870s to the end of the Cold War. This analysis confirms that, despite the fact that Switzerland has remained untouched by war for more than 150 years, military preparation and the world wars have had a crucial impact in the shaping of the distinctive public–private mix that distinguishes the Swiss welfare state from its immediate neighbours. Periods of war thus coincided not only with an expansion of state social insurance but also witnessed the consolidation of existing private social provision. The chapter also highlights how Switzerland’s distinctive militia-based conscription contributed to forge a male-centred social citizenship that lasted for decades after 1945.

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