Dear Members
I am a final year student looking for help, advice and debate over some
particularly sticky issues likely to prove controversial.
As the title of this posting suggests I am looking to 'dish the dirt' but
on ourselves, that is to say the academic Social Policy community
ourselves, if I maybe allowed to place myself in that constituency.
My contention is that social policy is professionally under exposed and
poorly represented when compared to other such organisations. Social
Policy has 'sold out' and is no longer independent; in an increasingly
desperate competition for survival cash much social policy research now
simply informs sponsors of what they want to hear. Increasingly the core
disciplines are being infiltrated by 'career' academics, anxious to expand
their own reputations and positions, they do not exhibit an unselfish
commitment to the goals of social policy. Most contentiously of all I
believe there is widespread corruption in the sense of academic cliques and
rivalries, this distorts access of opportunity to the wide range of
influential positions and 'airtime'.
In short the operation of the academic discipline is no longer adequate to
the task it sets itself.
Clearly I am presenting myself as quite a target but I am seeking to get to
those things that I know exist but are not to be found in any social policy
textbook. Therefore I would be grateful if we could discuss this. In
which areas must I be shot down in flames? In which areas are there
examples to support or deny my contentions?
In the interests of Social Policy names of individuals and institutions
should be strictly omitted, this is not a witchhunt. Rather it is an
attempt to assess whether or not the core of the Social Policy 'apple' has
gone rotten and how much of the barrel it has taken, or will take with it.
Please post anything, examples or opinions, that you believe is relevant to
the debate, alternatively, if you wish to remain anonymous you can e-mail
me personally at: [log in to unmask]
To what extent this posting evokes a response will prove interesting.
Thank you for your time again and more thanks in advance for your replies.
I will update the list as to what, if anything, happens.
Tim Clark
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