ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the patterns that have emerged into a more comprehensive picture of the social policy process. The individual who analyses problems in a new way, or who recombines existing elements so as to introduce a novel pattern, takes the first indispensable step towards innovation. The number of people who contribute to this intellectual process is small. The ideas underlying the social policy innovations of the 1960s can be traced, in the first instance, to a few social scientists and professionals operating on the margins of politics. The 1960s offer compelling evidence of the role of empirical research in shaping the social policy agenda. The policy options actively considered also owe much to intellectuals and professionals. The original inspiration for the innovative features of all the policies examined sprang originally from the minds of such people. The impact of social science knowledge and professional ideas depends on several factors, the most important of which is uncertainty within government.
