Redefining the Social Contract in New Zealand: An Investment-based Social Policy Paradigm

Social policy occupies a unique and essential role within political discourse. Unlike most policy domains, it is directly concerned with ensuring the prosperity and wellbeing of humans and improving the quality of their lives. As such, social policy in many ways reflects the strength of a nation’s democratic processes. If a democracy is not functioning coherently, the quality of social support provided is likely to follow this trend. While it is important to acknowledge the difficulty in effectively developing and delivering policy of any kind, social policy involves unparalleled complexity and requires the development of innovative solutions that have the potential to solve issues most consider to be intractable. When effectively formulated and executed, social policy serves as a potent tool through which governments can improve the lives of citizens. However, it is more often the case that social policies do not achieve their desired objectives. In New Zealand, social policy has failed to effect change or deliver tangible improvements for many decades and the post-World War II welfare-state social policy paradigm is no longer fit for purpose. This thesis accordingly advocates for a paradigm shift in how social policy issues are approached, proposing an investment-based social policy framework inspired by social investment principles and Social Contract Theory.