Four The age of responsibility: social policy and citizenship in the early 21st century
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Ruth Lister
Abstract
This chapter presents an analysis through the lens of citizenship. It outlines the dominant discourses of citizenship responsibility, discussing in particular how they have been articulated previously by New Labour governments, and currently by the Coalition government. It examines the ways in which social policy has been used to encourage or enforce responsibilities and obligations. It develops a key critique that the responsibilisation agenda has been directed overwhelmingly at the poorest and least powerful in society through the increasing conditionality, exclusivity and selectivity of social citizenship. It concludes that the Coalition government is continuing with this broad approach and also notes that some critical differences are already apparent. It observes that these include a greater hostility towards the state on the part of the Coalition, a position reflected in the absence of a discussion of the rights that might accompany the obligations of the citizenship.
Abstract
This chapter presents an analysis through the lens of citizenship. It outlines the dominant discourses of citizenship responsibility, discussing in particular how they have been articulated previously by New Labour governments, and currently by the Coalition government. It examines the ways in which social policy has been used to encourage or enforce responsibilities and obligations. It develops a key critique that the responsibilisation agenda has been directed overwhelmingly at the poorest and least powerful in society through the increasing conditionality, exclusivity and selectivity of social citizenship. It concludes that the Coalition government is continuing with this broad approach and also notes that some critical differences are already apparent. It observes that these include a greater hostility towards the state on the part of the Coalition, a position reflected in the absence of a discussion of the rights that might accompany the obligations of the citizenship.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Notes on contributors v
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Symposium on the Coalition government
- Conservative social policy: from conviction to coalition 7
- Something old and blue, or red, bold and new? Welfare reform and the Coalition government 25
- The Conservative Party and the ‘Big Society’ 45
- The age of responsibility: social policy and citizenship in the early 21st century 63
- Debating the ‘death tax’: the politics of inheritance tax in the UK 85
- The debate about public service occupational pension reform 103
- Welfare to work after the recession: from the New Deals to the Work Programme 127
- Lone parents and the Conservatives: anything new? 147
- A treble blow? Child poverty in 2010 and beyond 165
- The English NHS as a market: challenges for the Coalition government 185
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Education in international context
- Citizenship education in international perspective: lessons from the UK and overseas 211
- “You’re only going to get it if you really shout for it”: education dispute resolution in the 21st century in England 233
- A sin of omission: New Zealand’s export education industry and foreign policy 257
- Student security in the global education market 281
- Exporting policy: the growth of multinational education policy businesses and new policy ‘assemblages’ 303
- Index 323
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Notes on contributors v
-
Symposium on the Coalition government
- Conservative social policy: from conviction to coalition 7
- Something old and blue, or red, bold and new? Welfare reform and the Coalition government 25
- The Conservative Party and the ‘Big Society’ 45
- The age of responsibility: social policy and citizenship in the early 21st century 63
- Debating the ‘death tax’: the politics of inheritance tax in the UK 85
- The debate about public service occupational pension reform 103
- Welfare to work after the recession: from the New Deals to the Work Programme 127
- Lone parents and the Conservatives: anything new? 147
- A treble blow? Child poverty in 2010 and beyond 165
- The English NHS as a market: challenges for the Coalition government 185
-
Education in international context
- Citizenship education in international perspective: lessons from the UK and overseas 211
- “You’re only going to get it if you really shout for it”: education dispute resolution in the 21st century in England 233
- A sin of omission: New Zealand’s export education industry and foreign policy 257
- Student security in the global education market 281
- Exporting policy: the growth of multinational education policy businesses and new policy ‘assemblages’ 303
- Index 323
