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A conceptual framework for the analysis of social policies
Author(s) -
Thomas David R.,
Robertson Neville R.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6629(199007)18:3<194::aid-jcop2290180303>3.0.co;2-a
Subject(s) - legislation , identification (biology) , process (computing) , imprisonment , intervention (counseling) , public relations , policy analysis , conceptual framework , conceptual model , political science , social policy , sociology , management science , public administration , psychology , criminology , computer science , economics , social science , law , botany , database , psychiatry , biology , operating system
Increasing the involvement of psychologists in policy analysis requires clarification of the specific contributions that can be made by community psychologists and other applied social scientists. The present article examines the nature of social policies and outlines a model of the policy‐making process. The “cycle of social policy” model emphasizes the stages of problem identification, policy formulation and adoption, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination. Attention is focused on the sociopolitical and organizational contexts in which policy processes occur. Potential roles for psychologists and other social scientists in policy making are identified. Two New Zealand examples, police intervention in domestic disputes and legislation intended to reduce imprisonment rates, are used to illustrate the application of the model.