An Analytical Framework for Policy Practice

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An Analytical Framework for Policy Practice

• A Value and Ideological Perspective

Jane Hayes March 9, 2006 Midwest Biennial Social
Work Educators Conference
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Overview

• To present social justice as the value foundation
  of policy practice.
• To define Policy Practice
• To review frameworks of Policy Analysis as to
  their relevance to social justice and policy
  practice.

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How do you define Social Justice?

• Theory of Distribution (Rawls, 1971)
• A social contract exists between the individual
  and society in a liberal democracy.
• This social contract establishes the
  interdependency between freedom and equality.
• The individual in order to choose and exercise
  freedom needs social goods to ensure equal access
  to opportunities.
• Social work values are consistent with this.

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Social Work Values

• Social workers by virtue of their roles and
  commitments are particularly well placed to act
  as the social conscience of liberal democracies
  (Figueira-McDonough, 1993, p. 180).

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Policy Practice

• Macro practice is a professionally guided
  intervention intended to bring about change in
  organizations (Netting, Kettner McMurtry,
  1998).
• Political social work is defined as a macro
  intervention that targets systems and structures
  of power to change policy (Haynes and Mickelson,
  2000).
• Policy practice are efforts to change policies
  in legislative, agency, and community settings,
  whether by establishing new policies, improving
  existing ones, or defeating the policy
  initiatives of other people (Jansson, 2003, p.
  13).

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Social Work Policy Practice

• Efforts to change policies in legislative,
  agency, and community settings, whether by
  establishing new policies, improving existing
  ones, or defeating the policy initiatives of
  other people.
• Policy Analysis Policy Advocacy
• Social Justice

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Policy Frameworks

• Karger and Stoesz (2002)
• Dobelstein (2003)
• Chambers (2000)
• Jansson (2003)

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Policy Analysis FrameworkKarger Stoesz

• Policy Framework
• Analytical descriptive model
• Introduces social values, political and economic
  schools of thought.
• Democratic-Capitalistic Society

History of Policy
Social Problems
Policy Description
Policy Analysis
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Policy Analysis FrameworkDobelstein

• Analytical-descriptive model
• Emphasizes value conflicts that formulate a
  normative definition of the issue
• Policy the work of policy elites
• Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
  Stage 4 Stage 5
• Normative Policy Public
  Public Policy
• Issues Processes Policies
  Programs Implement

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Policy Analysis FrameworkChambers

• Value critical analysis model
• Integrates value analysis
• Allows for open disclosure of the value
  orientation of the analyst and audience.
• Determines the fit of the value perspective of
  the social problem with the solution.
• Values adequacy, equity, efficiency.
• Policy analysis incorporates
• Goals and objectives
• Forms of benefits or services delivered
• Entitlement (eligibility rules)
• Administrative or organizational structure for
  delivery of services
• Financing method

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Policy Practice Framework Jansson

• Recognizes policy practice as integral to social
  work practice.
• Incorporates policy analysis and policy advocacy
• Unifies direct service and policy practice
• Goal of policy practice is social justice.
• The individual in order to choose and exercise
• freedom needs social goods to ensure equal
• access to opportunities.

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Policy Practice Framework
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Policy Practice Tasks and Skills

• Analytical
• Interactional
• Political
• Value clarifying

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Policy Practice Skills Competencies

• Analytical Skills
• Developing a proposal
• Using social science research
• Diagnosing barriers to implementation
• Interactional skills
• Coalition building
• Conflict resolution
• Task formation and maintenance

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Policy Practice Skills

• Value clarifying skills
• Engaging in ethical reasoning
• Political Skills
• Taking a personal position
• Seeking positions of power
• Orchestrating pressure on decision makers
• Empowering other

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Models

• Policy advocacy model integrates political
  knowledge and skills throughout the policy
  process and acknowledges social justice as the
  goal of policy practice.
• Value critical model defines social justice as
  adequacy, equity, and efficiency and acknowledges
  the role of political conflict and power in
  setting the agenda.
• Pluralistic model provides the knowledge to
  analyze the societal values, political and
  economic ideologies operating within the larger
  social environment.
• Analytical-descriptive model contributes the
  social science research knowledge and skills,
  fundamental to any policy analysis framework.

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Modified Policy Advocacy Model

• Contextual analysis of social values, political
  and economic ideologies (barriers and
  opportunities)
• Value foundation of the model is social justice
  and humanism.
• Social justice as adequacy, equity, and
  efficiency

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Summary

• Policy advocacy model integrates political
  knowledge and skills throughout the policy
  process acknowledges the goal of policy
  practice as social justice.
• Integrates interactional knowledge and skills
• Integrates analytical knowledge and skills

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Implications

• Policy advocacy model provides a guide for social
  work policy practice.
• Provides student the knowledge and skills needed
  for policy practice
• Advances the values of the profession on a
  societal level
• Consistent with the Code of Ethics

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Questions?

• How do you define social justice?
• How does the profession demonstrate social
  justice?
• Will you teach this framework to students?
• Why? Why not?

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Thank you!!

• Have a good day!