Why a focus on social groups is lacking in public policy and how to implement a “Group‐Frame” in practice

Some of the biggest challenges facing societies today relate to social problems, from increases in loneliness to growing polarization that undermines social cohesion across countries. Nevertheless, public policy often draws on an individualistic lens to address these societal problems. From a cross‐country comparison, we conclude that public policy implicitly follows neo‐liberal ideologies that see citizens as either autonomous and self‐reliant, or as fragile and in need of strong guidance. Previous researchers have called for a stronger focus on system change (S‐frame) in public policy, instead of seeking solutions by targeting individual behavior (I‐frame). Here, we emphasize the intermediate level speaking to how individuals connect to systems: highlighting how social groups impact health and wellbeing, social change, and can be a key determinant of societal resilience. We review research on the Social Identity Approach that has the potential to inform a group perspective (G‐frame) on public policy. First, we consider likely reasons why social groups have not received the attention they deserve in policy development. Second, we provide concrete examples to illustrate the added value of a group perspective. Third, we outline how policymakers can implement the G‐frame, to inform top‐down and bottom‐up approaches to social policy.