How does social policy manage interdependencies? I'm doing an assignment on the role of social policy in addressing poverty. My lecturer always...

There are two major types of interdependencies that are impacted by social policy, including the interdependency of individuals and small communities and the interdependencies of nation states. On a smaller scale, social policies such as healthcare and the welfare system play a large role in the degree to which individuals are dependent upon one another and their communities. On a larger scale, the prevalence of globalism governs the international shift towards the greater interdependence of...

There are two major types of interdependencies that are impacted by social policy, including the interdependency of individuals and small communities and the interdependencies of nation states. On a smaller scale, social policies such as healthcare and the welfare system play a large role in the degree to which individuals are dependent upon one another and their communities. On a larger scale, the prevalence of globalism governs the international shift towards the greater interdependence of the world's nations. As nations share resources in the interest of implementing new social policies, they become more interdependent. Intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations are designed to manage many of the aspects of global interdependency. On a local level, charities and local government programs play a large role in managing interdependencies such as education, poverty and health.

As social creatures, humans are inherently interdependent. The degree to which those interdependencies exist varies according to many different factors, including the social policies in place in a given area. Poverty is a significant variable in the relationship between interdependencies and social policy. Research shows that poverty is caused by both cyclical and cumulative interdependencies, which makes it a useful variable to study when trying to understand the role social policy plays in addressing interdependencies. Cyclical interdependencies are those in which individual and community resources are mutually dependent. For example, impoverished individuals are not able to contribute economically to their communities, which in turn makes fewer community resources available for individuals to benefit from.

Cumulative poverty is a natural extension of cyclic poverty. As the cycle of poverty continues in a given community, more economic issues accumulate. From a lack of affordable housing to under-funded school districts and social programs, social policy suffers when the interdependent relationship between individuals and their community is one of poverty.

Economic status is just one of the many interdependencies that exist both between individuals and communities and between one community and another. While social policies are typically put in place to address dysfunctional interdependencies in a community, those same interdependencies can end up limiting the ability of a social policy to work. From healthcare to education programs, social policies require resources for successful implementation.