Social Policy in a Foreign Policy Context before World War II: The British Experience

• In Event: 393 - Section on Sociology of Development Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 07. Historical Perspectives on Development

Abstract

Social policy research has focused primarily on domestic, rather than foreign welfare policies and programs, and understanding social policy in a foreign policy context may become increasingly important as national economies globalize. Through a historical examination of the case of the British Empire before, during, and after the first wave of globalization, this paper seeks to better understand the relationship between social policy and foreign policy. Using data collected and analyzed from over 200 Parliamentary Papers from the United Kingdom between 1868 and 1945, the paper addresses the following research question: ‘what role did foreign aid in the social sector play in British colonial development policy?’ The paper argues that social policy was used in a foreign context primarily to protect and promote British interests. Ensuring the stability and security of colonial territories was key to this aim, and improving the welfare of colonial subjects was a secondary matter. While some emphasis was placed on improving social conditions, particularly in the area of health, aid in the social sector was both ad hoc and residual and usually driven by broader defense and development policy objectives. Further historical work aimed at uncovering the drivers and determinants of social policy in conflict and post-conflict settings and its role in broader development strategies could contribute to welfare regime theory and further our understanding of the intra- and interactions between welfare regimes in our ‘global age’.

Author

• Amanda Marie Shriwise, Oxford University