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Analysis of social pathologies in a policy context: A paradigm for action

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Abstract

Prevention continues to gain importance among the strategies open for governmental development of social policy. This paper offers two exploratory conceptual discussions related to prevention in social policy. The first is a representation of the policy making environment with special reference to the informational requirements for the development of policy. The second is a discussion of social pathologies, broadly defined as patterns of behavior with important negative repercussions on individuals whom we refer to as victims, and of possible strategies toward the development of (at least partial) preventive measures. The two discussions are interrelated as the shape of the second is dictated by the desiderata outlined in the first. The paper is divided into five parts:

  1. I.

    Introduction: the conundrum of prevention.

  2. II.

    The Development of a paradigm of the policy context.

  3. III.

    Dependent variables: social pathologies.

  4. IV.

    Independent variables: a focus on structural determinants.

  5. V.

    Conclusion: information requirements for preventive action.

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Authors
  1. T. Russell Robinson
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  2. Sergio Sismondo
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Additional information

The authors are, respectively, Assistant Deputy Minister and Senior Policy Analyst, Policy Research and Long Range Planning Branch, Department of National Health and Welfare, Ottawa.

The opinions and propositions contained in this paper are those of the authors only, and thus do not necessarily reflect the views, or policy positions, of the Minister of National Health and Welfare or of the Government of Canada.

The authors are indebted to Professor Paul R. Eberts of Cornell University for his helpful comments in reviewing an earlier draft of this paper. Of course, the authors alone are responsible for the contents of the paper.

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Robinson, T.R., Sismondo, S. Analysis of social pathologies in a policy context: A paradigm for action. Soc Indic Res 6, 41–72 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00305436

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00305436

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