Conclusions

This book has been concerned with the values and principles that stand behind social policies in Western democracies. The definition of terms like justice, liberty and equality is not straightforward. Meanings change over time and place. The extent of a government’s political dogmatism and its understandings of these and similar values have profound consequences for the contours of the policies it creates. Equally, policy formulation takes place in the real world and many internal and external circumstances can disrupt a government’s aims and objectives. The analysis of policy from values, through implementation, to outcomes is rendered all the more complex by having to take account of any disruptive influences and events.