5 Policies from scandal
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Samantha A. Shave
Abstract
This chapter examines the role of welfare scandals in policy-making after the passage of the Amendment Act. The post-1834 relief system opened the policy-making process to a number of other stakeholders to make their own demands on the relief system, such as the medical profession. These ‘stakeholders’, and notable ‘key actors’ from the anti-New Poor Law movement shaped the direction of social policies during the early years of the New Poor Law, not the Commission alone. The existence of a central authority, to hold the local authorities to account, ensured that policies developed in ways which would resolve problems encountered nationally. This meant that the experiences of the poorest played a role in the policy-making process when their voices were carried to the ears of authority. There was, essentially, a feedback mechanism between policy implementation and policy evaluation and change stages of the policy process under the New Poor Law. The creation of a centralised welfare authority brought with it centralised accountability for local relief administration.
Abstract
This chapter examines the role of welfare scandals in policy-making after the passage of the Amendment Act. The post-1834 relief system opened the policy-making process to a number of other stakeholders to make their own demands on the relief system, such as the medical profession. These ‘stakeholders’, and notable ‘key actors’ from the anti-New Poor Law movement shaped the direction of social policies during the early years of the New Poor Law, not the Commission alone. The existence of a central authority, to hold the local authorities to account, ensured that policies developed in ways which would resolve problems encountered nationally. This meant that the experiences of the poorest played a role in the policy-making process when their voices were carried to the ears of authority. There was, essentially, a feedback mechanism between policy implementation and policy evaluation and change stages of the policy process under the New Poor Law. The creation of a centralised welfare authority brought with it centralised accountability for local relief administration.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i 1
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of figures viii
- List of tables x
- Acknowledgements xi
- Permissions xiii
- List of abbreviations xiv
- Introduction 1
- 1 A policy process approach to the poor laws 17
- 2 Gilbert’s Act 56
- 3 Restricting relief 111
- 4 Policies from knowledge networks 150
- 5 Policies from scandal 197
- 6 Conclusion 248
- Appendix 268
- Select bibliography 279
- Index 289
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i 1
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of figures viii
- List of tables x
- Acknowledgements xi
- Permissions xiii
- List of abbreviations xiv
- Introduction 1
- 1 A policy process approach to the poor laws 17
- 2 Gilbert’s Act 56
- 3 Restricting relief 111
- 4 Policies from knowledge networks 150
- 5 Policies from scandal 197
- 6 Conclusion 248
- Appendix 268
- Select bibliography 279
- Index 289
