Social Policy and Cultural Services: A Study of Scottish Border Museums as Implementers of Social Inclusion

Citation

McCall V (2009) Social Policy and Cultural Services: A Study of Scottish Border Museums as Implementers of Social Inclusion. Social Policy and Society, 8 (3), pp. 319-331. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746409004874

Abstract
This article examines the findings of an exploratory case study based on local authority museums in the Scottish Borders to assess the impact of social inclusion policies from the Scottish Parliament. Taken from museum curators’ perspectives, the findings suggest that social inclusion policies have not filtered through the system to reach the curators due to unclear government policy and confusion regarding terminology, strategy and guidelines. Curators found it difficult to engage with social inclusion discourse, despite employing socially inclusive actions in everyday practice. The relationship between the local community and museum was seen to be unique and multi-layered, with a perceived dimension of community ownership, which has implications for social policy on central, local and individual levels.

Keywords
Cultural Services; Social Inclusion; Implementation; Social Policy; Museums; Museums Scottish Borders (England and Scotland) Management; Museum curators; Social integration

Journal
Social Policy and Society: Volume 8, Issue 3

People

Professor Vikki McCall

Professor of Social Policy, Housing Studies