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Understanding human need
Human need is a central but contested concept in social policy and the social sciences. This book provides an accessible overview of the subject using concepts from many disciplines. It presents a unique integrative model that shows how the main approaches may be reflected in social policy goals. The author engages with recent debates which advance our understanding of human need, including human wellbeing and 'happiness'; poverty, social exclusion and global inequality; human difference, the diversity of needs and the concept of human capabilities. Most crucially, the book explores how human needs may be translated into rights and how these can be informed by a politics of human need. The book offers essential insights for students of social policy, but will also be of interest to other social science disciplines, policy makers and political activists.
240 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 8, 2024
An indeed very taxonomical book and very Tarlcott Parsons. So it is generally can be allocated into a coordinate system. The system is generally divided by the spectrum Practical/bottom-up/maintenance of order on the one side and theorized/top-down/principle of equality on the other; while thin need/necessary need/hedonic/individualistic one one side and thick need/flourishing need/eudemonic/solidaristic on the other.
· Economical need is market focused. Ppl’s need is particular. Individual is constructed as economic actor as in the market. It is a liberal regime and assume liberal-individualist humanism. The human right is personal and has a practical utilitarianism origin.
· Moralistic need is self-centered and authoritarian. Ppl’s need is circumstantial. Human nature need to be constrained by authority and there is judgement for the need that ppl deserve. It is an asocial conservative regime and assume supremacist humanism. The human right is conditional and it has a habits of survival origin.
· Paternalistic need is social protectionist, there are common vulnerabilities that all ppls share. Ppl’s need is common. Need situated axiomatically in social context. It is a social conservative regime and assume a conservative-solidaristic humanism. The human right is protective and it has a customs of community origin
· Social reformist need (a type of need that I do believe the author is more willing to agree albeit not evidently) . The society is a progressive liberal one and need is universal. Individual is a social actor and it is a social democratic regime. It assumes reformist-solidaristic humanism. The human right is citizenship and it has a cosmopolitan principle origin.
Social policy is about a process of ameliorate process of resource distribution and development of human service, but it is in essence about how to meet human’s need.
Means-testing methods / HDI development / Equal opportunity
Inequality: Distribution of material resources / social devision-exclusion and misrecognition / alienation and oppression
The author at last, albeit the statement also appears at the front, points out that his radical definition of a “needs-first ethic”, that is to say, priorities that which is required for the realization of the constitutive characteristic of humanity first. It contains four parts: nourish human consciousness / work as a creative process / sociality and recognize and validate essential interdependence / historical development: human needs evolve and life change, bring the time into consideration.
comments:
This is hard for me to give a exact paragraph to take about my feeling after reading this, because it is very theory-focused and even most of the theories can be allocated into the main coordinate system, it is still some times a bit counter-intuitive to place into this taxonomy.
Generally this highly qualitative research points out the different needs and therefore draws ppl’s attention of how to use related social policy to “meet this need”, through the two ways that are given by this research “ameliorate process of resource distribution” and ”development of human service”.
Because of the article digs too deep into the related thoughts and the outcomes are therefore very text-based. The “needs-first” approach that given by him is nevertheless a bit intangible. Also, because he is at the “social-reformist need” part of the spectrum, this makes him to set this coordinate system a bit biased, his part seems to be evidently much better than others. In another word, all the other three are to narrowed and too orthodox and outdated.
· Economical need is market focused. Ppl’s need is particular. Individual is constructed as economic actor as in the market. It is a liberal regime and assume liberal-individualist humanism. The human right is personal and has a practical utilitarianism origin.
· Moralistic need is self-centered and authoritarian. Ppl’s need is circumstantial. Human nature need to be constrained by authority and there is judgement for the need that ppl deserve. It is an asocial conservative regime and assume supremacist humanism. The human right is conditional and it has a habits of survival origin.
· Paternalistic need is social protectionist, there are common vulnerabilities that all ppls share. Ppl’s need is common. Need situated axiomatically in social context. It is a social conservative regime and assume a conservative-solidaristic humanism. The human right is protective and it has a customs of community origin
· Social reformist need (a type of need that I do believe the author is more willing to agree albeit not evidently) . The society is a progressive liberal one and need is universal. Individual is a social actor and it is a social democratic regime. It assumes reformist-solidaristic humanism. The human right is citizenship and it has a cosmopolitan principle origin.
Social policy is about a process of ameliorate process of resource distribution and development of human service, but it is in essence about how to meet human’s need.
Means-testing methods / HDI development / Equal opportunity
Inequality: Distribution of material resources / social devision-exclusion and misrecognition / alienation and oppression
The author at last, albeit the statement also appears at the front, points out that his radical definition of a “needs-first ethic”, that is to say, priorities that which is required for the realization of the constitutive characteristic of humanity first. It contains four parts: nourish human consciousness / work as a creative process / sociality and recognize and validate essential interdependence / historical development: human needs evolve and life change, bring the time into consideration.
comments:
This is hard for me to give a exact paragraph to take about my feeling after reading this, because it is very theory-focused and even most of the theories can be allocated into the main coordinate system, it is still some times a bit counter-intuitive to place into this taxonomy.
Generally this highly qualitative research points out the different needs and therefore draws ppl’s attention of how to use related social policy to “meet this need”, through the two ways that are given by this research “ameliorate process of resource distribution” and ”development of human service”.
Because of the article digs too deep into the related thoughts and the outcomes are therefore very text-based. The “needs-first” approach that given by him is nevertheless a bit intangible. Also, because he is at the “social-reformist need” part of the spectrum, this makes him to set this coordinate system a bit biased, his part seems to be evidently much better than others. In another word, all the other three are to narrowed and too orthodox and outdated.
March 7, 2017
So far...there have been no good books on human needs. It would be great if somebody could write something that wasn't so damn dense.
Having said that, this is far easier to read than the theory of human need by Goyal and Dough, and has many different views summarised and considers the implications of tackling human needs in different ways.
It has a whole lot of information that I will definitely be using as a text book and as a guide to point me in the right direction in the future when working with human needs.
On its own...the book is incredibly dry however, and so would only consider to dip in and out of chapters as of and when needed.
Having said that, this is far easier to read than the theory of human need by Goyal and Dough, and has many different views summarised and considers the implications of tackling human needs in different ways.
It has a whole lot of information that I will definitely be using as a text book and as a guide to point me in the right direction in the future when working with human needs.
On its own...the book is incredibly dry however, and so would only consider to dip in and out of chapters as of and when needed.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews