A produção científica de psicologia e o debate sobre política social

Postgraduate studies in Psychology have passed through intense process of growth and consolidation, attested by current high levels of scientific production. It is questionable, however, the return that psychological science has given to a society that has made large investments. Considering the increasing integration of Psychology in the social welfare area, a form of possible and necessary contribution is by the expansion of social policy debate. This work aimed to discuss how Psychology postgraduate studies can contribute to understand the issue of social policy. The object were academic theses defended in the 2007/2009 triennium related to one of the five thematic criteria, which resulted in 105 theses of 824 defended in the period. The main results point to the existence of the issue in Psychology programs in a sprayed way, predominantly, albeit for a limited set of researchers and programs, "social policy" appears as a priority object of research, indicating incipient systematization of these studies. Moreover, it was found that while the majority of theses can be characterized by fragility of the theoretical frameworks in relation to the subject, with most research in a strictly technical perspective, some proportion of the studies reveals concern about putting the social policy debate into a broader social context, which represents the essential condition to construct a reasoned and robust theoretical critic. In conclusion, this thesis defends that psychological science can only contribute effectively to the society development if academic community promotes a structured articulation around the theme, deepens the theoretical debate and transforms the knowledge built into organized political practice

Desenvolvimento e assistência social : uma avaliação da efetividade da política de assistência social nos municípios de Assú e Mossoró (2004 -2008)

This thesis, whose title is DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE: AN EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION IN SOCIAL ASSISTENCE POLICY IN THE CITIES OF ASSÚ AND MOSSORÓ/RN (2004/2008), has as main aim to evaluate effectiveness in Social Assistance Policy in the cities of Assu and Mossoró/RN, from 2004 to 2008, identifying its impacts and effects in life of its users. The methodological process for the research was composed by: a) Literature review on this theme, development of public policies; social public policies, public policy evaluation and Social Assistance Policy in Brazil; b) Documental research from Municipal Management of Social Development and Municipal Counsels of Social Assistance in the cities of Assu and Mossoró/RN about the object of this study and empirical field; c) Field Research constituted by the realization of Focal Groups with Social Assistance users and semistructured interviews with municipal managers from Assú and Mossoró. It was also taken into account participant observations in events and activities related to Social Assistance previously mentioned, considering field management and also the response to users demands. Articulating the themes of Development and Public Social Policy in Social Assistance was the theoretical purpose for this thesis. To achieve this purpose, it was performed two theoretical displacements related, at the same time, to the notion of development and to the concept of Social Assistance, which means to comprehend development as social change and improvement in users life quality, expressed in the expansion of their capacities and liberties (SEN, 1993, 2000), and the Social Assistance as an element for development. Such displacements provide a view of Public policy and Social Policies and evaluate National Policy of Social Assistance achieved in those cities. As product, this thesis presents a methodological purpose for effectiveness evaluation in Public Policy, taking into account expansion of capacities and liberties, concluding that Social Assistance Policy in Assú and Mossoró/RN, even in lesser extent had its impact and caused effective results in the life of their users and provided an expansion of their capacities and liberties, improving life quality and empowered agent condition for those subjects. The results show that this Policy has been proved to be effective, and consequently, it was considered, in this thesis, to be also an element and an allied for development

Política de assistência social no Brasil: uma análise a partir das tipologias de políticas públicas

The study of public policy typologies is still a knowledge field which lacks more embracing and applicable studies to different sectors. On that perspective, this work, Social Assistance Policy in Brazil: an analysis from the typologies on public policy, pursues to add the relevant literature to social assistance what focus on the public policy ratings. Moreover, it concerns about a study on the the national policy of social assistance implemented by the Brazilian government from the theoretical referrence of the public policy typologies. For that reason, the referential framework of the public policies as well as the analisys of its fundamentals/principles that are indispensable for achieving a bigger goal, that is to tipify the social assistance policy based on the different public policy typologies and characterize it through the main elements which are intrinsec to the social political and economic reality of Brazil. Thus, the issue suggested for the work is: what is the profile and the political trajectory of the social assistance implemented by the Brazilian Government? How it presents, above all, the features of a distributive, focused and lawful policy, the work has been done througho the following hypothesis: the social assistance policy in Brazil has been of universal, assistance, and focusing aspects. For each of those features granted to the social assistance policy, there is a gathering of changes according to the social, political and economic moment of the country and that stands out due to the different institutions within every cyclical period. The work showed that besides the social policy has gone through meaningful changes during the last decades, even though the adoption of the Organic Law of Social Assistance and its rules, some of the mentioned characteristics still remain, as long as the State s primacy goes on being the economic policies over the dubbed social policies. Notwithstanding, the social assistance will build up itself from the materialization of the growing of the social rights related to the State, but also assuming an important role on the amplified reproducing process regarding the capitalist social relations