How effectively do governments tackle social inequality?
The ways the UK and Scottish governments respond to social and economic inequality, including the welfare state, benefits, the NHS and targeted policies, and how effective these responses are.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on responses to social inequality, covering the welfare state and benefits, the NHS, employment and education policies, the role of the UK and Scottish governments, and an evaluation of how effective these responses are.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to describe how the UK and Scottish governments respond to social and economic inequality, explain the main policies and institutions involved, and evaluate how effective these responses are. This supports -mark "evaluate the effectiveness" essays and requires you to handle the devolution split.
The answer
The welfare state
UK government responses
Scottish Government responses
Because welfare, health and education are partly devolved, the Scottish Government adds its own measures.
How effective are these responses?
Examples in context
The Scottish Child Payment is a clear example of devolved powers in action: it is a targeted weekly payment aimed at reducing child poverty that does not exist in the rest of the UK, illustrating how Scotland can go further than the Westminster offer. The contrast with Universal Credit, a UK-wide reform whose rollout drew criticism for payment delays and a five-week wait that pushed some families into hardship, lets a Higher answer weigh a Scottish success against a UK-wide weakness. Free prescriptions and free tuition similarly distinguish the Scottish approach, giving concrete evidence for an evaluation of how effectively governments tackle inequality.
Try this
Q1. Describe two ways the Scottish Government responds to social inequality. [4 marks]
- Cue. The Scottish Child Payment, free prescriptions, free personal care or free university tuition using devolved powers.
Q2. Evaluate the effectiveness of government responses to social inequality. [12 marks]
- Cue. Weigh how benefits and the NHS cut poverty and protect health against criticisms of Universal Credit, cost and persistent inequality.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher 201920 marksEvaluate the effectiveness of government responses to social and economic inequality in the UK.Show worked answer →
A -mark essay: up to marks for knowledge and understanding and up to for analysis, evaluation and a sustained conclusion.
KU marks come from accurate detail on UK-wide responses (Universal Credit, the State Pension, the NHS, the National Living Wage, free education) and devolved Scottish responses (the Scottish Child Payment, free prescriptions, free personal care, free university tuition).
Analysis and evaluation marks come from judging effectiveness: benefits and the NHS cut absolute poverty and protect health, but critics point to low benefit levels, the hardship caused by Universal Credit reform, and persistent inequality. A sustained judgement is the discriminator.
SQA Higher 202112 marksAnalyse the ways the Scottish Government uses its devolved powers to tackle social inequality.Show worked answer →
A -mark analysis question, roughly half KU and half analysis. Markers reward developed explanation of devolved measures rather than a list.
KU should cover the Scottish Child Payment, free prescriptions, free personal care for older people, the Scottish Welfare Fund and free university tuition, set against the UK-wide system.
Analysis marks come from explaining how these devolved measures target low-income families and differ from the UK offer, and weighing their reach against limited devolved budgets. A clear judgement is the discriminator.
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Sources & how we know this
- SQA Higher Modern Studies Course Specification — SQA (2018)