Monitoring the Impact of Social Policy, 1980-2001: Social Expenditure Patterns in Aotearoa / New Zealand

Abstract

Identifying government policy and programme interventions in order to (inter alia) trace what impacts these may have had on social parameters, has been one aspect of the FWWP research programme. One possible way of tracking policy interventions is to examine government social expenditures. This paper uses data on social expenditure in New Zealand to examine significant social policy events over recent decades. Recourse is made to the OECD social expenditure data-base, which is more user-friendly than other sources and which also has the potential for cross-national comparisons. This OECD social expenditure date is used alongside information on significant social policy events (such as McTaggart, 2005) to track major changes in recent social policy in New Zealand. The paper first briefly outlines the system of social security in New Zealand before examining the issues involved in using social expenditure data to analyse social policy. The details of the OECD social spending database are then outlined before social spending in New Zealand in recent decades is examined. In particular the following questions are explored. 1. What has been the pattern of government expenditure pattern on social services over the last two decades? 2. How have the components of that spending changed and how do these changes relate to policy decisions?