Kelly Bogue
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447350538
- eISBN:
- 9781447350545
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447350538.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
Drawing on first person accounts and participant observation, this book looks in-depth at one of the UK government’s most controversial austerity policies, the ‘Bedroom Tax’. Focusing on the lives of ...
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Drawing on first person accounts and participant observation, this book looks in-depth at one of the UK government’s most controversial austerity policies, the ‘Bedroom Tax’. Focusing on the lives of 31 people in one neighbourhood, it explores the push and pull factors that structure tenants’ behaviour regarding downsizing to smaller properties within a residualised and stigmatised social housing sector. It highlights the meaning of home and the continuing relevance of community and the tensions created when tenants are faced with the threat of displacement and the concomitant loss of social networks and informal structures of welfare that operate in place. While this book focuses on one social policy, it speaks to broader concerns about the value and loss of social housing and how we care for and house our most vulnerable citizens in the midst of neoliberal restructuring. It reflects on the continuing loss of housing benefit support, on-going cuts to the welfare state and what this means for communities and their sense of security and belonging. More broadly, it reflects on how cuts to housing benefit support are undermining the capacity of low income households to secure and maintain housing within a social sector that faces new financial risks and a private rented sector in which the term ‘no DSS’ has made a resurgence. The central argument of this book is that policies such as the Bedroom Tax which undermine secure housing are divisive, heightening resentment about access to housing while leading to increasing housing inequality and urban marginality.Less
Drawing on first person accounts and participant observation, this book looks in-depth at one of the UK government’s most controversial austerity policies, the ‘Bedroom Tax’. Focusing on the lives of 31 people in one neighbourhood, it explores the push and pull factors that structure tenants’ behaviour regarding downsizing to smaller properties within a residualised and stigmatised social housing sector. It highlights the meaning of home and the continuing relevance of community and the tensions created when tenants are faced with the threat of displacement and the concomitant loss of social networks and informal structures of welfare that operate in place. While this book focuses on one social policy, it speaks to broader concerns about the value and loss of social housing and how we care for and house our most vulnerable citizens in the midst of neoliberal restructuring. It reflects on the continuing loss of housing benefit support, on-going cuts to the welfare state and what this means for communities and their sense of security and belonging. More broadly, it reflects on how cuts to housing benefit support are undermining the capacity of low income households to secure and maintain housing within a social sector that faces new financial risks and a private rented sector in which the term ‘no DSS’ has made a resurgence. The central argument of this book is that policies such as the Bedroom Tax which undermine secure housing are divisive, heightening resentment about access to housing while leading to increasing housing inequality and urban marginality.
Shane Blackman and Ruth Rogers (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781447330523
- eISBN:
- 9781447330578
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447330523.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Communities and Organizations
The book critically engages with neo-liberal policies and media representations of youth austerity as a constructed social crisis but remaining the mechanism used by both government and media to ...
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The book critically engages with neo-liberal policies and media representations of youth austerity as a constructed social crisis but remaining the mechanism used by both government and media to exert control over young adults;
It explores the diversity of intersections relating to youth marginality across social class, gender and racial boundaries; looking into contemporary theory of advanced youth marginality.
It challenges the dominant notions of youth ‘underclass’ and marginalisation and the representation of ‘youth as trouble’ through participatory research methods to project young people’s ‘real’ experience and voice in spheres of leisure and recreation from street corners to open spaces in relation to surveillance and sanctions;
It develops an understanding of the importance of personal, emotional, familial and collective experiences of poverty and austerity and the strategies of resistance and survival, or consent under social hardship and discrimination from the Police;
It critically assesses the dynamics of social, cultural and educational policies in the shaping social life of young adults as refugees, looked after young people in Care, young mothers, working class youth and young people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, with reference to contemporary debates on neo-liberalism.Less
The book critically engages with neo-liberal policies and media representations of youth austerity as a constructed social crisis but remaining the mechanism used by both government and media to exert control over young adults;
It explores the diversity of intersections relating to youth marginality across social class, gender and racial boundaries; looking into contemporary theory of advanced youth marginality.
It challenges the dominant notions of youth ‘underclass’ and marginalisation and the representation of ‘youth as trouble’ through participatory research methods to project young people’s ‘real’ experience and voice in spheres of leisure and recreation from street corners to open spaces in relation to surveillance and sanctions;
It develops an understanding of the importance of personal, emotional, familial and collective experiences of poverty and austerity and the strategies of resistance and survival, or consent under social hardship and discrimination from the Police;
It critically assesses the dynamics of social, cultural and educational policies in the shaping social life of young adults as refugees, looked after young people in Care, young mothers, working class youth and young people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, with reference to contemporary debates on neo-liberalism.
Kelly Bogue
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447350538
- eISBN:
- 9781447350545
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447350538.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
This chapter sets out the background and context to the UK’s implementation of austerity measures following the financial crash of 2007/08. It examines the principles underlying the enactment of the ...
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This chapter sets out the background and context to the UK’s implementation of austerity measures following the financial crash of 2007/08. It examines the principles underlying the enactment of the Bedroom Tax policy before outlining the new regulations on room restrictions that have been imposed on those claiming housing benefit in the social rented sector. It discusses the controversy surrounding its implementation as well as the ways in which it has impacted different regions of the UK. This chapter also reflects on changes to housing benefit more widely and suggests that we are seeing the return of the ‘housing question’ in post-industrial Britain as austerity policies undermine housing affordability. The final part of this chapter outlines the structure of the book.Less
This chapter sets out the background and context to the UK’s implementation of austerity measures following the financial crash of 2007/08. It examines the principles underlying the enactment of the Bedroom Tax policy before outlining the new regulations on room restrictions that have been imposed on those claiming housing benefit in the social rented sector. It discusses the controversy surrounding its implementation as well as the ways in which it has impacted different regions of the UK. This chapter also reflects on changes to housing benefit more widely and suggests that we are seeing the return of the ‘housing question’ in post-industrial Britain as austerity policies undermine housing affordability. The final part of this chapter outlines the structure of the book.
Shana Cohen, Christina Fuhr, and Jan-Jonathan Bock (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781447331032
- eISBN:
- 9781447331056
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447331032.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
This book examines local responses to political and economic crises in Germany and the UK. In Germany, the influx of refugees has thrown into question state capacity to cope with crisis and the ...
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This book examines local responses to political and economic crises in Germany and the UK. In Germany, the influx of refugees has thrown into question state capacity to cope with crisis and the acceptability of religious diversity. In the UK, policymakers have framed austerity measures as the most appropriate response to economic crisis, instigated initially by the financial crisis in 2007-8. However, in contrast to the far more visible, often rightwing, protests against the political establishment, local social activists have worked across different ethnic and religious groups to address social problems. The initiatives range from food banks to debt advice to helping some of the most vulnerable families and individuals overcome challenging life situations. Some are secular and others faith-based, though often, faith is related to individual motivation and possesses very little influence on the service itself. The emphasis instead is on collaborative activism, where organisations and individuals come to depend upon each other for mobilising resources and overcoming problems, an effort that in turn promotes trust and understanding across the diverse participants. This activism suggests new engagement with citizenship, which refers as much to participation in community-based, inclusive action to improve local quality of life as it does to individual rights. The volume brings together German and British academics to show how in both countries, concepts of individual, community, and citizenship are changing in an era of political and social division and persistent economic inequality.Less
This book examines local responses to political and economic crises in Germany and the UK. In Germany, the influx of refugees has thrown into question state capacity to cope with crisis and the acceptability of religious diversity. In the UK, policymakers have framed austerity measures as the most appropriate response to economic crisis, instigated initially by the financial crisis in 2007-8. However, in contrast to the far more visible, often rightwing, protests against the political establishment, local social activists have worked across different ethnic and religious groups to address social problems. The initiatives range from food banks to debt advice to helping some of the most vulnerable families and individuals overcome challenging life situations. Some are secular and others faith-based, though often, faith is related to individual motivation and possesses very little influence on the service itself. The emphasis instead is on collaborative activism, where organisations and individuals come to depend upon each other for mobilising resources and overcoming problems, an effort that in turn promotes trust and understanding across the diverse participants. This activism suggests new engagement with citizenship, which refers as much to participation in community-based, inclusive action to improve local quality of life as it does to individual rights. The volume brings together German and British academics to show how in both countries, concepts of individual, community, and citizenship are changing in an era of political and social division and persistent economic inequality.
Elke Heins, James Rees, and Catherine Needham (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447343981
- eISBN:
- 9781447344018
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447343981.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
Bringing together the voices of leading experts in the field, this edition offers an up-to-date and diverse review of the best in social policy scholarship over the past year. The book considers a ...
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Bringing together the voices of leading experts in the field, this edition offers an up-to-date and diverse review of the best in social policy scholarship over the past year. The book considers a range of current issues and critical debates in UK and international social policy. It contains vital research, including discussions on the changing landscape of welfare in the UK and Europe more widely since the 2008/09 crisis, the continuing impact of austerity on social policy areas such as the NHS, social care and disability, the financialisation of pensions and corporatisation of welfare as well as topical contributions on the ‘Air Jamaica generation’ and the Alt-Right from a social policy perspective.
Published in association with the SPA, this comprehensive analysis of the current state of social policy will be of interest to students and academics in social policy, social welfare and related disciplines.
Less
Bringing together the voices of leading experts in the field, this edition offers an up-to-date and diverse review of the best in social policy scholarship over the past year. The book considers a range of current issues and critical debates in UK and international social policy. It contains vital research, including discussions on the changing landscape of welfare in the UK and Europe more widely since the 2008/09 crisis, the continuing impact of austerity on social policy areas such as the NHS, social care and disability, the financialisation of pensions and corporatisation of welfare as well as topical contributions on the ‘Air Jamaica generation’ and the Alt-Right from a social policy perspective.
Published in association with the SPA, this comprehensive analysis of the current state of social policy will be of interest to students and academics in social policy, social welfare and related disciplines.
Eleanor Jupp, Sophie Bowlby, Jane Franklin, and Sarah Marie Hall
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447351849
- eISBN:
- 9781447351887
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447351849.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
With an innovative focus on home and care, this book is an intervention into debates about social policy and welfare at a time of crisis, with a particular focus on the UK. Such a crisis involves ...
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With an innovative focus on home and care, this book is an intervention into debates about social policy and welfare at a time of crisis, with a particular focus on the UK. Such a crisis involves austerity, economic restructuring, worsening inequality and resulting issues of resources, rationing and affordability. The book illuminates how these economic and political changes are re-shaping experiences of home and care for many households. By bringing together a unique set of interdisciplinary perspectives to bear on the topics of home, care, austerity and welfare crisis, the book develops conceptual and methodological resources for exploring these often hidden yet crucial aspects of everyday lives. Topics covered include the changing place of the home within social care policy, housing and inequality, researching family lives under austerity, and the restructuring of children’s services. Ultimately the book argues that the home needs to be understood as a site of political and economic contestation, and that forms of feminist research and analysis can enable new interventions into this terrain.Less
With an innovative focus on home and care, this book is an intervention into debates about social policy and welfare at a time of crisis, with a particular focus on the UK. Such a crisis involves austerity, economic restructuring, worsening inequality and resulting issues of resources, rationing and affordability. The book illuminates how these economic and political changes are re-shaping experiences of home and care for many households. By bringing together a unique set of interdisciplinary perspectives to bear on the topics of home, care, austerity and welfare crisis, the book develops conceptual and methodological resources for exploring these often hidden yet crucial aspects of everyday lives. Topics covered include the changing place of the home within social care policy, housing and inequality, researching family lives under austerity, and the restructuring of children’s services. Ultimately the book argues that the home needs to be understood as a site of political and economic contestation, and that forms of feminist research and analysis can enable new interventions into this terrain.
Gary Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719097652
- eISBN:
- 9781526109712
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719097652.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
The aim of this book is to assess the quarter century of political competition in the Republic of Ireland from the time of the ending of recession of the 1980s up to the 2011 general election where ...
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The aim of this book is to assess the quarter century of political competition in the Republic of Ireland from the time of the ending of recession of the 1980s up to the 2011 general election where Ireland was ruled by the Troika and austerity was a by-word for both policy making and how many people lived their lives. This book assesses in a thematic way the forces which shaped the decisions that political elites in Ireland took over the course of this crucial quarter century in modern Irish life. It examines the nature of electoral competition in modern Ireland by focusing on a number of key themes that shaped the decisions of Irish politicians. These include the nature of coalition politics in Ireland; the payments to politicians by developers and businessmen that led to a number of tribunals of inquiry; the culture wars over divorce and abortion; the process of the economic collapse to boom and back to collapse cycle that effected the lives of so many Irish people; and the collapse of Ireland's natural party of government, Fianna Fáil. It analyses why Irish citizens have been comfortable in continuing to vote for traditional political elites despite the failures of the Irish state and explains why it has been so difficult for new parties to emerge.Less
The aim of this book is to assess the quarter century of political competition in the Republic of Ireland from the time of the ending of recession of the 1980s up to the 2011 general election where Ireland was ruled by the Troika and austerity was a by-word for both policy making and how many people lived their lives. This book assesses in a thematic way the forces which shaped the decisions that political elites in Ireland took over the course of this crucial quarter century in modern Irish life. It examines the nature of electoral competition in modern Ireland by focusing on a number of key themes that shaped the decisions of Irish politicians. These include the nature of coalition politics in Ireland; the payments to politicians by developers and businessmen that led to a number of tribunals of inquiry; the culture wars over divorce and abortion; the process of the economic collapse to boom and back to collapse cycle that effected the lives of so many Irish people; and the collapse of Ireland's natural party of government, Fianna Fáil. It analyses why Irish citizens have been comfortable in continuing to vote for traditional political elites despite the failures of the Irish state and explains why it has been so difficult for new parties to emerge.
Eunice Goes
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719090707
- eISBN:
- 9781526109637
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719090707.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, UK Politics
When Ed Miliband was elected leader of the Labour Party in 2010 he sought to turn the page on New Labour and use the global financial crisis as an opportunity to renew social democracy. With great ...
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When Ed Miliband was elected leader of the Labour Party in 2010 he sought to turn the page on New Labour and use the global financial crisis as an opportunity to renew social democracy. With great intellectual and ideological gusto Miliband and his team searched, adopted and adapted new and old ideas that would address the policy puzzles left open by the global financial crisis. This book seeks to determine whether Ed Miliband was successful in his task by analysing the different ideas that were adopted and adapted by the Labour Party in the period 2010-15. Using discursive institutionalism and historical institutionalism, this book will map the political ideas and will identify the main ideational, institutional and political constraints that impacted and shaped the Labour Party’s political agenda. The book argues that the Labour Party under Ed Miliband tried but failed to renew social democracy. The timing, the prevalence of the neoliberalism in public discourse as well as Miliband’s inability to find a coalition of supporters for his transformative agenda and his own shortcomings as party leader led to a watered down political agenda that lacked boldness, clarity and definition. This lack of definition and clarity was one of the reasons why Milibandism was so overwhelmingly rejected by voters in May 2015.Less
When Ed Miliband was elected leader of the Labour Party in 2010 he sought to turn the page on New Labour and use the global financial crisis as an opportunity to renew social democracy. With great intellectual and ideological gusto Miliband and his team searched, adopted and adapted new and old ideas that would address the policy puzzles left open by the global financial crisis. This book seeks to determine whether Ed Miliband was successful in his task by analysing the different ideas that were adopted and adapted by the Labour Party in the period 2010-15. Using discursive institutionalism and historical institutionalism, this book will map the political ideas and will identify the main ideational, institutional and political constraints that impacted and shaped the Labour Party’s political agenda. The book argues that the Labour Party under Ed Miliband tried but failed to renew social democracy. The timing, the prevalence of the neoliberalism in public discourse as well as Miliband’s inability to find a coalition of supporters for his transformative agenda and his own shortcomings as party leader led to a watered down political agenda that lacked boldness, clarity and definition. This lack of definition and clarity was one of the reasons why Milibandism was so overwhelmingly rejected by voters in May 2015.
Keiran Walsh, Gemma M. Carney, and Áine Ní Léime (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9781447316237
- eISBN:
- 9781447316244
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447316237.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Gerontology and Ageing
Demographic ageing is identified as a global challenge with significant social policy implications across local, national and international contexts. The 2008 economic crisis and related austerity ...
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Demographic ageing is identified as a global challenge with significant social policy implications across local, national and international contexts. The 2008 economic crisis and related austerity policies further compound and complicate this challenge. Social policy pressures characterising ageing societies increasingly need to be understood within the context of the economic recession and the evolving circumstances of austerity. Yet, the extent to which the global economic crisis intensifies problems experienced in later life has been largely neglected as a research and policy topic. This book addresses this deficit by using Ireland as a site for unpacking social policy issues in ageing through austerity. The book interrogates whether or not the economic recession and austerity has in fact altered ageing experiences for older people in Ireland. A selection of internationally recognised policy issues for ageing societies are explored; demography; citizenship; participation and volunteering; work, gender and pensions; age-friendly communities and place; dementia care; and social exclusion. The book presents a critical analysis to contextualise and elaborate on international debates around these issues within the Irish austerity setting, and to identify future directions for research and policy that are relevant beyond Ireland. A central goal of contributors is to demonstrate linkages between the global, national and local levels that shape the experiences of ageing in a time of austerity. The emphasis, however, is as much on the capacity of the local to shape and manipulate global influence and forces, as it is about the power of globalisation over national and community contexts.Less
Demographic ageing is identified as a global challenge with significant social policy implications across local, national and international contexts. The 2008 economic crisis and related austerity policies further compound and complicate this challenge. Social policy pressures characterising ageing societies increasingly need to be understood within the context of the economic recession and the evolving circumstances of austerity. Yet, the extent to which the global economic crisis intensifies problems experienced in later life has been largely neglected as a research and policy topic. This book addresses this deficit by using Ireland as a site for unpacking social policy issues in ageing through austerity. The book interrogates whether or not the economic recession and austerity has in fact altered ageing experiences for older people in Ireland. A selection of internationally recognised policy issues for ageing societies are explored; demography; citizenship; participation and volunteering; work, gender and pensions; age-friendly communities and place; dementia care; and social exclusion. The book presents a critical analysis to contextualise and elaborate on international debates around these issues within the Irish austerity setting, and to identify future directions for research and policy that are relevant beyond Ireland. A central goal of contributors is to demonstrate linkages between the global, national and local levels that shape the experiences of ageing in a time of austerity. The emphasis, however, is as much on the capacity of the local to shape and manipulate global influence and forces, as it is about the power of globalisation over national and community contexts.
Edward Ashbee
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719090820
- eISBN:
- 9781781708873
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719090820.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The Right and the Recession considers the ways in which conservative activists, groupings, parties and interests in the US and Britain responded to the financial crisis and the “Great Recession” that ...
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The Right and the Recession considers the ways in which conservative activists, groupings, parties and interests in the US and Britain responded to the financial crisis and the “Great Recession” that followed in its wake. The book looks at the tensions and stresses between different ideas, interests and institutions and the ways in which they shaped the character of political outcomes. In Britain, these processes opened the way for leading Conservatives to redefine their commitment to fiscal retrenchment and austerity. Whereas public expenditure reductions had been portrayed as a necessary response to earlier “overspending” they were increasingly represented as a way of securing a permanently “leaner” state. The book assesses the character of this shift in thinking as well as the viability of these efforts to shrink the state and the parallel attempts in the US to cut federal government spending through mechanisms such as the budget sequester.Less
The Right and the Recession considers the ways in which conservative activists, groupings, parties and interests in the US and Britain responded to the financial crisis and the “Great Recession” that followed in its wake. The book looks at the tensions and stresses between different ideas, interests and institutions and the ways in which they shaped the character of political outcomes. In Britain, these processes opened the way for leading Conservatives to redefine their commitment to fiscal retrenchment and austerity. Whereas public expenditure reductions had been portrayed as a necessary response to earlier “overspending” they were increasingly represented as a way of securing a permanently “leaner” state. The book assesses the character of this shift in thinking as well as the viability of these efforts to shrink the state and the parallel attempts in the US to cut federal government spending through mechanisms such as the budget sequester.
David C. Wall
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719096525
- eISBN:
- 9781526104335
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719096525.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
In a post-war world of austerity and privation, visions of plenty often held out the possibility of liberation and regeneration. But those visions just as frequently codified “plenty” as something to ...
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In a post-war world of austerity and privation, visions of plenty often held out the possibility of liberation and regeneration. But those visions just as frequently codified “plenty” as something to be mistrusted, if not gravely threatening. Sharing a deep ambivalence over the abundance they depict, artitsts John Bratby and Richard Hamilton, and film makers Brian Desmond Hurst and Basil Dearden, all employ an “aesthetics of plenty” that both contests and contains competing post-war impulses of desire and denial. Further, they each locate the body as the critical site for the playing out of ubiquitous anxieties of race, gender, nationhood and decolonisation. Their shared visions of abundance simultaneously invoke a desirous world of plenty in the most unsettling and ambivalent terms. Bratby’s painting Jean and Still Life in Front of Window (1954), Hamilton’s collage Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing? (1956), and the feature films Simba (Brian Desmond Hurst 1956) and Sapphire (Basil Dearden 1959) each offer competing and complementary points of rupture where the discourses of empire, race, class, the body, and the nation all meet as images of compelling abundance become images of troubling abandon.Less
In a post-war world of austerity and privation, visions of plenty often held out the possibility of liberation and regeneration. But those visions just as frequently codified “plenty” as something to be mistrusted, if not gravely threatening. Sharing a deep ambivalence over the abundance they depict, artitsts John Bratby and Richard Hamilton, and film makers Brian Desmond Hurst and Basil Dearden, all employ an “aesthetics of plenty” that both contests and contains competing post-war impulses of desire and denial. Further, they each locate the body as the critical site for the playing out of ubiquitous anxieties of race, gender, nationhood and decolonisation. Their shared visions of abundance simultaneously invoke a desirous world of plenty in the most unsettling and ambivalent terms. Bratby’s painting Jean and Still Life in Front of Window (1954), Hamilton’s collage Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing? (1956), and the feature films Simba (Brian Desmond Hurst 1956) and Sapphire (Basil Dearden 1959) each offer competing and complementary points of rupture where the discourses of empire, race, class, the body, and the nation all meet as images of compelling abundance become images of troubling abandon.
David Walker
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447348214
- eISBN:
- 9781447348269
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447348214.003.0019
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Research and Statistics
Democracy requires public understanding of the numbers underpinning tax and spend decisions. Austerity is the programme of government cuts in the UK since 2010. One might have expected this to have ...
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Democracy requires public understanding of the numbers underpinning tax and spend decisions. Austerity is the programme of government cuts in the UK since 2010. One might have expected this to have directed attention to political arithmetic and through improved public financial knowledge to have enhanced UK democracy. The flow of information has been deepened by the Office of Budget Responsibility, Whole of Government Accounts and the activism of the National Audit Office and the Commons Public Accounts Committee. In principle, the public could know more. Such developments sit comfortably with political commitments to restrain the state and sharpen its accountability and effectiveness. Yet austerity itself was necessitated by reference to ‘magical’ numbers – about spending and debt -- and aided and abetted by media mishandling of fiscal data. The decade from 2010 has also seen government ministers resist transparency in tax affairs, abandon financial accountability in health (in England) and condone the drying up of data across a swathe of social policy, especially welfare and education. It is hard to say that on balance the ‘fiscal conversation’ is any better informed. If ending austerity and assent to higher tax depend on better public understanding of numbers, prospects do not look bright.Less
Democracy requires public understanding of the numbers underpinning tax and spend decisions. Austerity is the programme of government cuts in the UK since 2010. One might have expected this to have directed attention to political arithmetic and through improved public financial knowledge to have enhanced UK democracy. The flow of information has been deepened by the Office of Budget Responsibility, Whole of Government Accounts and the activism of the National Audit Office and the Commons Public Accounts Committee. In principle, the public could know more. Such developments sit comfortably with political commitments to restrain the state and sharpen its accountability and effectiveness. Yet austerity itself was necessitated by reference to ‘magical’ numbers – about spending and debt -- and aided and abetted by media mishandling of fiscal data. The decade from 2010 has also seen government ministers resist transparency in tax affairs, abandon financial accountability in health (in England) and condone the drying up of data across a swathe of social policy, especially welfare and education. It is hard to say that on balance the ‘fiscal conversation’ is any better informed. If ending austerity and assent to higher tax depend on better public understanding of numbers, prospects do not look bright.
Alison Hulme
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781526128836
- eISBN:
- 9781526146724
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7765/9781526128843.00012
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, History of Economic Thought
Explains the relationship between democracy and thrift in the Second World War home-front campaigns. Looks at make-do-and-mend in the UK and Roosevelt’s ‘fireside chats’ in the US. Goes on to analyse ...
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Explains the relationship between democracy and thrift in the Second World War home-front campaigns. Looks at make-do-and-mend in the UK and Roosevelt’s ‘fireside chats’ in the US. Goes on to analyse the ways in which this era has been used by current-day politicians and institutions to create nostalgia, and argues this nostalgia is used to fuel acceptance of austerity policies.Less
Explains the relationship between democracy and thrift in the Second World War home-front campaigns. Looks at make-do-and-mend in the UK and Roosevelt’s ‘fireside chats’ in the US. Goes on to analyse the ways in which this era has been used by current-day politicians and institutions to create nostalgia, and argues this nostalgia is used to fuel acceptance of austerity policies.
Luciana Lang
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781526100733
- eISBN:
- 9781526132376
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526100733.003.0006
- Subject:
- Sociology, Urban and Rural Studies
This chapter explores three different interventions on public land in Cheetham Hill, an area of north Manchester which is characterised by cultural diversity, high rates of unemployment and often ...
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This chapter explores three different interventions on public land in Cheetham Hill, an area of north Manchester which is characterised by cultural diversity, high rates of unemployment and often regarded as a place of community disengagement. Amid cuts to public services and austerity measures, the author argues that the ‘commons’ are made as people adjust to new scenarios brought about by historical disruptions, collapse of work opportunities, and breakdown of state support. ‘Commoning’ provides a space for productivity and in the process, people’s sense of belonging emerges as they envisage, realize and retrieve their right to the city.Less
This chapter explores three different interventions on public land in Cheetham Hill, an area of north Manchester which is characterised by cultural diversity, high rates of unemployment and often regarded as a place of community disengagement. Amid cuts to public services and austerity measures, the author argues that the ‘commons’ are made as people adjust to new scenarios brought about by historical disruptions, collapse of work opportunities, and breakdown of state support. ‘Commoning’ provides a space for productivity and in the process, people’s sense of belonging emerges as they envisage, realize and retrieve their right to the city.
Katherine Smith
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781526100733
- eISBN:
- 9781526132376
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526100733.003.0010
- Subject:
- Sociology, Urban and Rural Studies
This chapter explores self-policing of urban violence in Harpurhey, Manchester. Arguing that ethical decision-making is practiced regularly in the process of policing the actions and behaviours of ...
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This chapter explores self-policing of urban violence in Harpurhey, Manchester. Arguing that ethical decision-making is practiced regularly in the process of policing the actions and behaviours of others. The author addresses the questions of, what does self-policing in the city actually look like? How does one determine what one ‘ought’ to do in the face of illegal or unethical actions in this part of the city? It concludes by arguing that the act of judgment of the behaviours and actions of others, and the assessment of where, when and whether or not to draw upon the services of the state to fulfill the role of policing, suggest that self-policing is not simply an outcome of neoliberal ideologies of self-management, but is an ethical engagement with the quotidian aspects of everyday life on this Manchester social housing estate.Less
This chapter explores self-policing of urban violence in Harpurhey, Manchester. Arguing that ethical decision-making is practiced regularly in the process of policing the actions and behaviours of others. The author addresses the questions of, what does self-policing in the city actually look like? How does one determine what one ‘ought’ to do in the face of illegal or unethical actions in this part of the city? It concludes by arguing that the act of judgment of the behaviours and actions of others, and the assessment of where, when and whether or not to draw upon the services of the state to fulfill the role of policing, suggest that self-policing is not simply an outcome of neoliberal ideologies of self-management, but is an ethical engagement with the quotidian aspects of everyday life on this Manchester social housing estate.
Kevin Wong
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781447300359
- eISBN:
- 9781447311706
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447300359.003.0016
- Subject:
- Social Work, Crime and Justice
The UK’s Coalition government places ‘Big Society’ firmly at the heart of public service delivery with Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) agencies playing critical roles in this. The narrative of ...
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The UK’s Coalition government places ‘Big Society’ firmly at the heart of public service delivery with Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) agencies playing critical roles in this. The narrative of Big Society harks back to a perceived (and lost) golden age when individuals put themselves forward and took responsibility for their communities. Evoking the spirit of Lord Kitchener the UK Prime Minister in 2010 placed ‘a call to alms’ (rather than ‘arms’) on the citizens of the UK to replace Big Government with Big Society. The narrative that has been consistently advanced by the VCS over the past few decades is that: they provide innovative, tailored and responsive services; they are closer to ordinary communities and people in need. This chapter examines the reality behind these narratives and identify old and new challenges that lie ahead for the VCS in delivering criminal justice services in an age of austerity.Less
The UK’s Coalition government places ‘Big Society’ firmly at the heart of public service delivery with Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) agencies playing critical roles in this. The narrative of Big Society harks back to a perceived (and lost) golden age when individuals put themselves forward and took responsibility for their communities. Evoking the spirit of Lord Kitchener the UK Prime Minister in 2010 placed ‘a call to alms’ (rather than ‘arms’) on the citizens of the UK to replace Big Government with Big Society. The narrative that has been consistently advanced by the VCS over the past few decades is that: they provide innovative, tailored and responsive services; they are closer to ordinary communities and people in need. This chapter examines the reality behind these narratives and identify old and new challenges that lie ahead for the VCS in delivering criminal justice services in an age of austerity.
Eamon Maher and Eugene O'Brien (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780719091674
- eISBN:
- 9781781707197
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719091674.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This book examines the phenomenon of the rise and fall of the Irish Celtic Tiger from a cultural perspective. It looks at Ireland's regression from prosperity to austerity in terms of a society as ...
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This book examines the phenomenon of the rise and fall of the Irish Celtic Tiger from a cultural perspective. It looks at Ireland's regression from prosperity to austerity in terms of a society as opposed to just an economy. Using literary and cultural theory, it looks at how this period was influenced by, and in its turn influenced, areas such as religion, popular culture, politics, literature, photography, gastronomy, music, theatre, poetry and film. It seeks to provide some answers as to what exactly happened to Irish society in the past few decades of boom and bust. The socio-cultural rather than the purely economic lens it uses to critique the Celtic Tiger is useful because society and culture are inevitably influenced by what happens in the economic sphere. That said, all of the measures taken in the wake of the financial crash sought to find solutions to aid the ailing economy, and the social and cultural ramifications were shamefully neglected. The aim of this book therefore is to bring the ‘Real’ of the socio-cultural consequences of the Celtic Tiger out of the darkness and to initiate a debate that is, in some respects, equally important as the numerous economic analyses of recent times. The essays analyse how culture and society are mutually-informing discourses and how this synthesis may help us to more fully understand what happened in this period, and more importantly, why it happened.Less
This book examines the phenomenon of the rise and fall of the Irish Celtic Tiger from a cultural perspective. It looks at Ireland's regression from prosperity to austerity in terms of a society as opposed to just an economy. Using literary and cultural theory, it looks at how this period was influenced by, and in its turn influenced, areas such as religion, popular culture, politics, literature, photography, gastronomy, music, theatre, poetry and film. It seeks to provide some answers as to what exactly happened to Irish society in the past few decades of boom and bust. The socio-cultural rather than the purely economic lens it uses to critique the Celtic Tiger is useful because society and culture are inevitably influenced by what happens in the economic sphere. That said, all of the measures taken in the wake of the financial crash sought to find solutions to aid the ailing economy, and the social and cultural ramifications were shamefully neglected. The aim of this book therefore is to bring the ‘Real’ of the socio-cultural consequences of the Celtic Tiger out of the darkness and to initiate a debate that is, in some respects, equally important as the numerous economic analyses of recent times. The essays analyse how culture and society are mutually-informing discourses and how this synthesis may help us to more fully understand what happened in this period, and more importantly, why it happened.
Stuart Hodkinson
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781526141866
- eISBN:
- 9781526144713
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526141866.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Urban and Rural Studies
This chapter charts the death of public housing from its emergence as part of a wider collective resistance to the social murder of unregulated capitalism to its planned demise under neoliberal ...
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This chapter charts the death of public housing from its emergence as part of a wider collective resistance to the social murder of unregulated capitalism to its planned demise under neoliberal policies of privatisation, demunicipalisation, deregulation, and austerity. A first section explains how public housing represented both the partial decommodification of shelter and the protection of residents’ health and safety through a wider system of building regulation and control. A second section argues that these qualities made public housing a target for privatisation and demunicipalisation policies that have recommodified and financialised housing and land for profit-seeking corporate interests. It was in this context that ‘outsourced regeneration’ featured in this book was born with the launch in 2000 of New Labour’s Decent Homes programme to bring all social housing in England up to a minimum decent standard by 2010. The chapter ends with an explanation of how the assault on public housing has been accompanied by the rolling back of building regulations and the rolling out of self-regulation that has weakened building safety and residents’ ability to hold their landlords to account.Less
This chapter charts the death of public housing from its emergence as part of a wider collective resistance to the social murder of unregulated capitalism to its planned demise under neoliberal policies of privatisation, demunicipalisation, deregulation, and austerity. A first section explains how public housing represented both the partial decommodification of shelter and the protection of residents’ health and safety through a wider system of building regulation and control. A second section argues that these qualities made public housing a target for privatisation and demunicipalisation policies that have recommodified and financialised housing and land for profit-seeking corporate interests. It was in this context that ‘outsourced regeneration’ featured in this book was born with the launch in 2000 of New Labour’s Decent Homes programme to bring all social housing in England up to a minimum decent standard by 2010. The chapter ends with an explanation of how the assault on public housing has been accompanied by the rolling back of building regulations and the rolling out of self-regulation that has weakened building safety and residents’ ability to hold their landlords to account.
Eldin Fahmy
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781447330523
- eISBN:
- 9781447330578
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447330523.003.0004
- Subject:
- Social Work, Communities and Organizations
Eldin Fahmy examines the nature, extent and social distribution of youth deprivation and social exclusion amongst 16-29 year olds living in Britain.
He explores our understanding of youth marginality ...
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Eldin Fahmy examines the nature, extent and social distribution of youth deprivation and social exclusion amongst 16-29 year olds living in Britain.
He explores our understanding of youth marginality and disadvantage, through supplement income data with direct measures of deprivation of living standards and exclusion from customary norms.
There is a focus on the social profile of vulnerability amongst young people, beyond relative low-income measures.
He compares data for 1990, 1999 and 2012 to explore young people’s vulnerability and disadvantage in the context of youth transitions and disadvantage.Less
Eldin Fahmy examines the nature, extent and social distribution of youth deprivation and social exclusion amongst 16-29 year olds living in Britain.
He explores our understanding of youth marginality and disadvantage, through supplement income data with direct measures of deprivation of living standards and exclusion from customary norms.
There is a focus on the social profile of vulnerability amongst young people, beyond relative low-income measures.
He compares data for 1990, 1999 and 2012 to explore young people’s vulnerability and disadvantage in the context of youth transitions and disadvantage.
Linda Brooks
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781447330523
- eISBN:
- 9781447330578
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447330523.003.0005
- Subject:
- Social Work, Communities and Organizations
Linda Brooks examines the impact of the current government austerity measures experienced at a local charity based in the borough of Castle Point in Essex.
Linda draws from first-hand experience of ...
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Linda Brooks examines the impact of the current government austerity measures experienced at a local charity based in the borough of Castle Point in Essex.
Linda draws from first-hand experience of working with young adults to provide valuable insights into the direct impact of austerity measures as lived under social suffering.
She employs ethnographic and biographical approaches to show real life examples of the impact of government austerity measures, which increase social disadvantage for young people within the local communities.Less
Linda Brooks examines the impact of the current government austerity measures experienced at a local charity based in the borough of Castle Point in Essex.
Linda draws from first-hand experience of working with young adults to provide valuable insights into the direct impact of austerity measures as lived under social suffering.
She employs ethnographic and biographical approaches to show real life examples of the impact of government austerity measures, which increase social disadvantage for young people within the local communities.
