The Social Policy and Social Change programme is built on a foundation of the University teaching social policy for a number of years. However, this exciting NEW programme focuses on the role of social policy in bringing about social change. In society we face critical problems that pose challenges for the health and wellbeing of our society, such as persistent poverty, food insecurity and climate change. How can we create solutions that tackle these problems – and why have we not done so already?

How citizens engage – and are enabled to engage - with policy makers is critical to a healthy society. However, some citizens - namely white, wealthy and male citizens - have a disproportionate influence on the design and implementation of the policies that shape our lives. Events such as COVID 19 and climate change, and social movements such as Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter, show how citizen involvement can be crucial in highlighting social problems. However, sometimes interactions between the state and its citizens leads to social change – and shifts in policy direction - and sometimes they do not.

Social Policy and Social Change will examine how social problems are identified, talked about and responded to, by politicians, by the media and by us, as citizens. It will critically review how social policy has failed to address deep-rooted inequalities experienced by certain individuals and communities, relating to age, class, disability, ethnicity, gender, locality, religion and sexuality.