2017 · Q8c · Social policy (10 marks)

Source: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 2017.pdf, PDF page 1 · Answer allocation: 10 marks

Original examination question

Write substantive notes on any TWO of the following: (10 each) (a) Zero based budgeting (b) Judicial Activism (c) Social Policy

This page answers option/part (c). All options are supplied for revision; follow the paper’s choice instructions in the examination.

Bullet outline

• Define collective responses to social needs and risks.
• Cover health, education, housing and social protection.
• Distinguish universal and targeted instruments.
• Assess equity, incentives and delivery capacity.
• Use a Pakistan benefit programme illustration.

Full exam-ready answer

Meaning and scope

Social policy consists of public choices and institutional arrangements addressing welfare, social risks and the distribution of opportunities. It includes health, education, housing, employment protection and support for people facing poverty, disability or old age. Its purpose extends beyond relief to social inclusion and human development.

Instruments and choices

Governments can provide services directly, finance access, regulate private providers or transfer income. Universal programmes offer broad entitlement, while targeted programmes concentrate resources on defined groups. Social insurance links benefits to specified contributions or insured risks; social assistance is generally financed from public revenue and based on eligibility.

Each instrument has trade-offs. Targeting can concentrate scarce funds but create exclusion errors and administrative burdens. Universal provision is simpler in some respects but can be costly or subsidise people who need less assistance.

Pakistan application

A poverty-support programme requires more than an announced benefit. Accurate registration, accessible payment, grievance redress and coordination with health or education determine its practical value. A family excluded by a documentation error may remain unprotected despite apparently adequate aggregate spending.

Evaluation and conclusion

Social policy should be assessed through adequacy, coverage, equity, affordability and outcomes. It must consider incentives without assuming that recipients lack motivation. Effective design recognises structural barriers such as inaccessible schools or insecure work.

Social policy is therefore a central component of development administration: it protects people against hardship while expanding their capacity to participate in economic and civic life.

Study note: This is an original model answer, not an official FPSC marking scheme. The outline is for revision; the prose below it provides the complete answer. Marks guide relative depth rather than a prescribed word count.