Featured Articles from Around the Globe

Special Issue on Community Psychology and Social Policy

Kenneth I. Maton
Guest Editor

The policy arena is a critical one for our work, locally, nationally, and internationally.  Yet, we have focused little as a field on the key challenges faced in social policy-related work, the factors that appear critical to our success, and the similarities and differences in influencing social policy formulation vs. influencing local practice.  Finally, from an international perspective, there has been little discussion of the distinctive aspects of governmental policymaking in various national contexts, and the resulting implications for our attempts to influence social policy.

Community Psychology and social policies: Actors and institutions

Jaime Alfaro
Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile

Peer Reviewed

This article seeks to analyze the relationship between community psychology and social policy, given the growth in interest in their interaction, both in in terms of the issues covered (from mental health to social problems) and the regions concerned (North America, Europe, and Latin America).

Causal layered analysis as a policy methodology

Brian J. Bishop, Peta L. Dzidic and Lauren J. Breen
Curtin University

Peer Reviewed

In this paper, we argue that psychology’s failure to adopt a multiplicity of epistemologies, in particular a contextualist epistemology, has meant that psychology, and particularly, community psychology has had limited impact. Further, we argue the need to consider community worldviews and culture, in general, if we are to engage more fully in policy development and implementation. Contending with the social issues relevant to policy settings requires an articulation of the worldview and cultural context.

The geometrical headache of French policies: Can vertical cultures be tilted horizontally?

Thomas Saïas and Cécile Delawarde
Paris, France

Peer Reviewed

This paper is based on our work as a community psychologist, working in a French governmental agency, and as a sociologist of mental health studying the processes of political decision-making in regard to preventive public health policies. The objective is first to reflect on the distinctive aspects of governmental policymaking in our country, and second, to underline the obstacles to and facilitators of success in our social policy-related work.

A Community Psychologist’s involvement in policy change at the community level: Three stories from a practitioner

Tom Wolff, PhD
Amherst MA, USA.

Peer Reviewed

As a community psychology practitioner who works with local communities policy change has always been an integral part of my work. This paper will illustrate that influencing social policy for community psychologists working in communities is a natural part of their everyday activities. Every dilemma faced by communities not only has programmatic solutions but also root structural causes that require policy changes. Often our task is to build the capacity of the community to become effectively involved with local office holders on issues of policy change.

In and against social policy

Mark Burton
Manchester Metropolitan University

Peer Reviewed

In this paper, I will explore some opportunities and traps of the social policy process through the experience of leading a demonstration project that piloted changes in disability policy in the UK, and as an activist trying to influence city policies on climate change mitigation.  The relative autonomy of system levels will be explored in relation to the scope for and limits to change.  Some practical tools for maintaining an ethical clarity will be identified.

La co-gestión de Políticas Públicas Sociales entre Estado y sociedad civil: El aporte de la Psicología Social Comunitaria a la construcción del diálogo entre actores diversos

Alicia Rodríguez
Universidad de la República, Uruguay

Peer Reviewed

This paper presents the contribution of Social Community Psychology (SCP) to the development of understanding and participation in the context of  social public policies (SPP) that are co-managed between the State and civil society. We provide an analysis of the complexity of the socio-political setting, and the importance of considering psychosocial and subjective processes when aiming to strengthen the participation of civil society organizations (CSOs) and the population targeted by the policy.