One The year in social policy
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Robert Sykes
Abstract
As Social Policy Review 13 went to press, the 2001 General Election had just been called, with Labour promising improvements in public services, including increases in the numbers of doctors, nurses and teachers, as a major part of its proposal for a second term. The editors’ comments in this section at that time (Sykes et al, 2001) suggested that a re-elected New Labour government might need to be kept under pressure to deliver on all of its promises in the social policy field.
It is certainly the case that there has been pressure: excepting the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York on 11 September and its aftermath, the debate over the future of public services has arguably been the dominant feature of the UK policy arena over the past year. In June 2001, as Labour romped home to a second landslide, there were fewer victory celebrations than had been the case in 1997. The government’s approach was much about getting on with the tasks in hand, and prominent among these has been the condition and the future of public services, including the NHS, education and public transport. The NHS has remained in the headlines with a number of negative high profile cases being played out in the media. These included the occasion when Tony Blair and Iain Duncan-Smith became embroiled in a bitter row over a north London hospital’s alleged neglect of a 94-year-old woman and the continued debate over waiting lists. In many instances the level of resourcing was an underlying theme of these concerns.
Abstract
As Social Policy Review 13 went to press, the 2001 General Election had just been called, with Labour promising improvements in public services, including increases in the numbers of doctors, nurses and teachers, as a major part of its proposal for a second term. The editors’ comments in this section at that time (Sykes et al, 2001) suggested that a re-elected New Labour government might need to be kept under pressure to deliver on all of its promises in the social policy field.
It is certainly the case that there has been pressure: excepting the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York on 11 September and its aftermath, the debate over the future of public services has arguably been the dominant feature of the UK policy arena over the past year. In June 2001, as Labour romped home to a second landslide, there were fewer victory celebrations than had been the case in 1997. The government’s approach was much about getting on with the tasks in hand, and prominent among these has been the condition and the future of public services, including the NHS, education and public transport. The NHS has remained in the headlines with a number of negative high profile cases being played out in the media. These included the occasion when Tony Blair and Iain Duncan-Smith became embroiled in a bitter row over a north London hospital’s alleged neglect of a 94-year-old woman and the continued debate over waiting lists. In many instances the level of resourcing was an underlying theme of these concerns.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Notes on contributors v
- The year in social policy 1
-
UK developments
- Modernising primary healthcare in England: the role of Primary Care Groups and Trusts 15
- Devolution in England: coping with post-industrial industrial regions – issues of territorial inequality 37
- Reconstituting social policy: the case of Northern Ireland 57
- ‘Revolutionising’ care for people with learning difficulties? The Labour government’s Learning Disabilities Strategy 85
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International developments
- Globalisation and welfare: a meso-level analysis 107
- The ‘anti-globalisation’ movement and its implications for social policy 127
- Migration policy in Europe: contradictions and continuities 151
- The European Union’s social policy focus: from labour to welfare and constitutionalised rights? 171
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Conceptual developments
- The politics and economics of disciplining an inclusive and exclusive society 199
- Green social welfare: an investigation into political attitudes towards ecological critiques and prescriptions concerning the welfare state 225
- Using social capital in the policy context: challenging the orthodoxy 249
- Participation and social policy: transformation, liberation or regulation? 265
- Index 291
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Notes on contributors v
- The year in social policy 1
-
UK developments
- Modernising primary healthcare in England: the role of Primary Care Groups and Trusts 15
- Devolution in England: coping with post-industrial industrial regions – issues of territorial inequality 37
- Reconstituting social policy: the case of Northern Ireland 57
- ‘Revolutionising’ care for people with learning difficulties? The Labour government’s Learning Disabilities Strategy 85
-
International developments
- Globalisation and welfare: a meso-level analysis 107
- The ‘anti-globalisation’ movement and its implications for social policy 127
- Migration policy in Europe: contradictions and continuities 151
- The European Union’s social policy focus: from labour to welfare and constitutionalised rights? 171
-
Conceptual developments
- The politics and economics of disciplining an inclusive and exclusive society 199
- Green social welfare: an investigation into political attitudes towards ecological critiques and prescriptions concerning the welfare state 225
- Using social capital in the policy context: challenging the orthodoxy 249
- Participation and social policy: transformation, liberation or regulation? 265
- Index 291
