Julian Le Grand
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199266999
- eISBN:
- 9780191600869
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199266999.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
Can we rely on the public service ethos to deliver high quality public services? Are professionals such as doctors and teachers really public‐spirited altruists—knights—or self‐interested ...
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Can we rely on the public service ethos to deliver high quality public services? Are professionals such as doctors and teachers really public‐spirited altruists—knights—or self‐interested egoists—knaves? And how should the recipients of those services, patients, parents, and pupils, be treated? As passive recipients—pawns—or as active consumers—queens?This book offers answers to these questions. It argues that the original welfare state was designed on the assumptions that those who worked within it were basically altruists or knights and that the beneficiaries were passive recipients or pawns. In consequence, services were often of low quality, delivered in a patronising fashion and inequitable in outcome. However, services designed on an opposite set of assumptions—that public service professionals are knaves and that users should be queens—also face problems: exploitation by unscrupulous professionals, and overuse by demanding consumers, especially middle class ones.The book draws on evidence from Britain and abroad to show that, in fact, public policies designed on the basis that professionals are a mixture of knight and knave and recipients a mixture of pawn and queen deliver better quality and greater equity than policies based on more simplistic assumptions about motivation and agency. In particular, contrary to popular mythology, the book shows that policies that offer choice and competition within public services such as education and health care can deliver both excellence and equity. And policies aimed at building up individual assets and wealth ownership can empower the poor and powerless more effectively than those aimed simply at bolstering their current income.Less
Can we rely on the public service ethos to deliver high quality public services? Are professionals such as doctors and teachers really public‐spirited altruists—knights—or self‐interested egoists—knaves? And how should the recipients of those services, patients, parents, and pupils, be treated? As passive recipients—pawns—or as active consumers—queens?
This book offers answers to these questions. It argues that the original welfare state was designed on the assumptions that those who worked within it were basically altruists or knights and that the beneficiaries were passive recipients or pawns. In consequence, services were often of low quality, delivered in a patronising fashion and inequitable in outcome. However, services designed on an opposite set of assumptions—that public service professionals are knaves and that users should be queens—also face problems: exploitation by unscrupulous professionals, and overuse by demanding consumers, especially middle class ones.
The book draws on evidence from Britain and abroad to show that, in fact, public policies designed on the basis that professionals are a mixture of knight and knave and recipients a mixture of pawn and queen deliver better quality and greater equity than policies based on more simplistic assumptions about motivation and agency. In particular, contrary to popular mythology, the book shows that policies that offer choice and competition within public services such as education and health care can deliver both excellence and equity. And policies aimed at building up individual assets and wealth ownership can empower the poor and powerless more effectively than those aimed simply at bolstering their current income.
Lorraine Code
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195159431
- eISBN:
- 9780199786411
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195159438.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Feminist Philosophy
This chapter shows how ecology, literally and metaphorically, affords a model for rethinking the established theories of knowledge, and relations between humanity and the other-than-human, that ...
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This chapter shows how ecology, literally and metaphorically, affords a model for rethinking the established theories of knowledge, and relations between humanity and the other-than-human, that characterize the social imaginary of the post-Enlightenment western world. Ecology figures as a study of habitats where people can live well together; of the ethos and habitus enacted in the customs, social organizations, and creative-regulative principles by which they strive or fail to achieve this end. Focusing on a shift in Rachel Carson’s thinking from geographical to ecological, and drawing on Kristin Shrader-Frechette’s analysis of ecological science, the chapter draws a parallel between Carson’s tacit epistemology and that of biologist Karen Messing to develop the working conception of ecology that informs the argument of the book. A reclamation of testimony as a source of evidence is central to the argument.Less
This chapter shows how ecology, literally and metaphorically, affords a model for rethinking the established theories of knowledge, and relations between humanity and the other-than-human, that characterize the social imaginary of the post-Enlightenment western world. Ecology figures as a study of habitats where people can live well together; of the ethos and habitus enacted in the customs, social organizations, and creative-regulative principles by which they strive or fail to achieve this end. Focusing on a shift in Rachel Carson’s thinking from geographical to ecological, and drawing on Kristin Shrader-Frechette’s analysis of ecological science, the chapter draws a parallel between Carson’s tacit epistemology and that of biologist Karen Messing to develop the working conception of ecology that informs the argument of the book. A reclamation of testimony as a source of evidence is central to the argument.
James Pereiro
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199230297
- eISBN:
- 9780191710650
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230297.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This book is a study of a fundamental and neglected aspect of the Oxford Movement. The term ethos appears often in the writings of the Oxford men, especially in their correspondence, and the concept ...
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This book is a study of a fundamental and neglected aspect of the Oxford Movement. The term ethos appears often in the writings of the Oxford men, especially in their correspondence, and the concept makes its presence felt in every aspect of the Tractarians' intellectual life and religious or social activity. The present study fills a gap in the research about the Oxford Movement and it revises commonly held assumptions about it; the scholarly overlook of the topic has prevented a proper understanding of significant aspects of the intellectual and social history of the Movement. Ethos, for the Oxford men, was more than just a general ‘tone of peculiar gentleness and grace’. It represented a complex theory of religious knowledge which deeply influenced the genesis and development of the Movement. The Tractarians were conscious from the first of how far their ethos distinguished them from the High Church party, with whom they shared much common doctrinal ground. Recent historiography's overstressing of the High Church dimension of the Oxford Movement has tended to obscure Tractarian intellectual originality and the motivation behind many of their actions. The Oxford men were radical religious reformers inspired by an uncompromising principle which urged them forward towards the full restoration of early Christian doctrinal orthodoxy and the recovery of the Catholic ethos. They considered that this Catholic ethos, long lost in the Church of England, was the only ground where a real revival could take root and grow up. The book studies the pre-Tractarian formation of the concept of ethos, and its later development; it explores the intellectual and practical consequences of the notion for the religious and social revival the Oxford Movement tried to promote; it also offers a study of the formation of Newman's theory of doctrinal development and of the defining and definitive role ethos played in its conception.Less
This book is a study of a fundamental and neglected aspect of the Oxford Movement. The term ethos appears often in the writings of the Oxford men, especially in their correspondence, and the concept makes its presence felt in every aspect of the Tractarians' intellectual life and religious or social activity. The present study fills a gap in the research about the Oxford Movement and it revises commonly held assumptions about it; the scholarly overlook of the topic has prevented a proper understanding of significant aspects of the intellectual and social history of the Movement. Ethos, for the Oxford men, was more than just a general ‘tone of peculiar gentleness and grace’. It represented a complex theory of religious knowledge which deeply influenced the genesis and development of the Movement. The Tractarians were conscious from the first of how far their ethos distinguished them from the High Church party, with whom they shared much common doctrinal ground. Recent historiography's overstressing of the High Church dimension of the Oxford Movement has tended to obscure Tractarian intellectual originality and the motivation behind many of their actions. The Oxford men were radical religious reformers inspired by an uncompromising principle which urged them forward towards the full restoration of early Christian doctrinal orthodoxy and the recovery of the Catholic ethos. They considered that this Catholic ethos, long lost in the Church of England, was the only ground where a real revival could take root and grow up. The book studies the pre-Tractarian formation of the concept of ethos, and its later development; it explores the intellectual and practical consequences of the notion for the religious and social revival the Oxford Movement tried to promote; it also offers a study of the formation of Newman's theory of doctrinal development and of the defining and definitive role ethos played in its conception.
Raymond Plant
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199281756
- eISBN:
- 9780191713040
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199281756.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Theory
This book has two central aims. The first is to give a fair, comprehensive, and analytical account of the central features of the neo‐liberal view about the role and limits of the state in the modern ...
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This book has two central aims. The first is to give a fair, comprehensive, and analytical account of the central features of the neo‐liberal view about the role and limits of the state in the modern world. It considers important ideas such as the contrast between a state based on rules and the one based on outcomes, the implications of this contrast for the rule of law, for the ideas of freedom, social justice, and rights. It provides a full account of the neo‐liberal view of the relationship between the state and the economy and to civil society and voluntary organizations. It draws upon a wide range of works by neo‐liberal thinkers to build up the theoretical case for this conception of the role of government and politics. The thinkers at the heart of this part of the study are Hayek, Buchanan, Mises, Menger, as well as others who while not regarding themselves as neo‐liberals nevertheless have contributed to neo‐liberal ideas. These include Oakeshott, Nozick, and Rothbard. The study also looks at the public policy implications of neo‐liberal ideas in relation to the role of the welfare state and other forms of public sector provision. The second part of the book provides a detailed critical appraisal of some of the central neo‐liberal doctrines particularly in relation to the core ideas of freedom, justice, rights, the role of collective organizations in civil society, and the provision of welfare. The book argues that contrary to neo‐liberal arguments there is no coherent way of providing a sharp and categorical distinction between neo‐liberalism and Social Democracy on the one hand and libertarianism on the other.Less
This book has two central aims. The first is to give a fair, comprehensive, and analytical account of the central features of the neo‐liberal view about the role and limits of the state in the modern world. It considers important ideas such as the contrast between a state based on rules and the one based on outcomes, the implications of this contrast for the rule of law, for the ideas of freedom, social justice, and rights. It provides a full account of the neo‐liberal view of the relationship between the state and the economy and to civil society and voluntary organizations. It draws upon a wide range of works by neo‐liberal thinkers to build up the theoretical case for this conception of the role of government and politics. The thinkers at the heart of this part of the study are Hayek, Buchanan, Mises, Menger, as well as others who while not regarding themselves as neo‐liberals nevertheless have contributed to neo‐liberal ideas. These include Oakeshott, Nozick, and Rothbard. The study also looks at the public policy implications of neo‐liberal ideas in relation to the role of the welfare state and other forms of public sector provision. The second part of the book provides a detailed critical appraisal of some of the central neo‐liberal doctrines particularly in relation to the core ideas of freedom, justice, rights, the role of collective organizations in civil society, and the provision of welfare. The book argues that contrary to neo‐liberal arguments there is no coherent way of providing a sharp and categorical distinction between neo‐liberalism and Social Democracy on the one hand and libertarianism on the other.
Gerald McKenny
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199582679
- eISBN:
- 9780191722981
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199582679.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
It is typical to approach Karl Barth's ethics by identifying one dimension—for example, the relation of dogmatics and ethics, of gospel and law, or of divine and human action, or the nature and ...
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It is typical to approach Karl Barth's ethics by identifying one dimension—for example, the relation of dogmatics and ethics, of gospel and law, or of divine and human action, or the nature and practice of moral reasoning—as the key to the whole. This overview focuses instead on the centrality of God's covenant with humanity to Barth's theology, arguing that ethics is grounded in election and sanctification: the determination of humanity as God's covenant partner and the summons to humanity to exist as God's covenant partner. This determination and summons are actualized in the movement in which God resolves on the good from eternity, fulfills it in time in Jesus Christ, and summons, empowers, and directs us to confirm it in each moment of our lives. But how is ethics possible if, as Barth stresses, it is Jesus Christ who fulfills the good in our place? The structure of Barth's ethics is supplied by his distinctive notions of responsibility and gratitude, in which human action is established not as gradual approximation to the divine goodness but as a thankful response to grace. All of this amounts to a vision of the moral life as a human analogy to God's grace, and this vision contrasts with the bourgeois vision of the moral life as an expression of human capability.Less
It is typical to approach Karl Barth's ethics by identifying one dimension—for example, the relation of dogmatics and ethics, of gospel and law, or of divine and human action, or the nature and practice of moral reasoning—as the key to the whole. This overview focuses instead on the centrality of God's covenant with humanity to Barth's theology, arguing that ethics is grounded in election and sanctification: the determination of humanity as God's covenant partner and the summons to humanity to exist as God's covenant partner. This determination and summons are actualized in the movement in which God resolves on the good from eternity, fulfills it in time in Jesus Christ, and summons, empowers, and directs us to confirm it in each moment of our lives. But how is ethics possible if, as Barth stresses, it is Jesus Christ who fulfills the good in our place? The structure of Barth's ethics is supplied by his distinctive notions of responsibility and gratitude, in which human action is established not as gradual approximation to the divine goodness but as a thankful response to grace. All of this amounts to a vision of the moral life as a human analogy to God's grace, and this vision contrasts with the bourgeois vision of the moral life as an expression of human capability.
Gerald McKenny
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199582679
- eISBN:
- 9780191722981
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199582679.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
How and by whom is it decided which among the possible courses of action available to the agent in a situation of choice is the one that God commands? This question is made both difficult and urgent ...
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How and by whom is it decided which among the possible courses of action available to the agent in a situation of choice is the one that God commands? This question is made both difficult and urgent by Barth's rejection of casuistry, that is, the rational procedure of specifying a general norm drawn from scripture, reason, or tradition in light of particular circumstances. Barth argues that the command of God comes to us already specified and calls only for our obedience. He seems thereby to deny that there are any rational constraints on what God might command or on what we might take to be God's command. This chapter examines Barth's portrayal of the encounter of human beings with the command of God as a prayerful hearing that includes the rational evaluation of possible courses of action and is preceded by instruction which offers approximate knowledge of what God will command based on the revealed history of God's encounter with humanity.Less
How and by whom is it decided which among the possible courses of action available to the agent in a situation of choice is the one that God commands? This question is made both difficult and urgent by Barth's rejection of casuistry, that is, the rational procedure of specifying a general norm drawn from scripture, reason, or tradition in light of particular circumstances. Barth argues that the command of God comes to us already specified and calls only for our obedience. He seems thereby to deny that there are any rational constraints on what God might command or on what we might take to be God's command. This chapter examines Barth's portrayal of the encounter of human beings with the command of God as a prayerful hearing that includes the rational evaluation of possible courses of action and is preceded by instruction which offers approximate knowledge of what God will command based on the revealed history of God's encounter with humanity.
Raimo Tuomela
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195313390
- eISBN:
- 9780199870929
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195313390.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
The central notions of acting and functioning as a group member are studied in this chapter. One can function and act as a group member either in the we-mode or in the I-mode. In the latter case, one ...
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The central notions of acting and functioning as a group member are studied in this chapter. One can function and act as a group member either in the we-mode or in the I-mode. In the latter case, one adopts the group's constitutive goals, values, norms, and standards—briefly its “ethos”—in a private sense, whereas in the former case these are collectively accepted and the group members are collectively committed to them. Accordingly, we-mode reasons for actions and mental states are group-based and collectively constructed, while I-mode reasons are private. We-mode acting as group member is called the “standard” sense and the latter the “weak” sense of acting as a group member. The notion of collective commitment—viewed as a conceptual entailment of we-mode collective acceptance—is clarified and shown to be “group-socially” normative and its functions in central group contexts are discussed. Furthermore, the problems of satisfying and maintaining the group's ethos are considered at length.A distinction between we-mode groups and I-mode groups is made. We-mode groups are social constructions based on collective acceptance, whereas I-mode groups are based on their membersʼ private commitments to some shared goals, beliefs, norms etc., and are not collectively constructed as groups. We-mode groups can be instrumentalistically viewed as agents, although this is not correct from an ontological point of view.Less
The central notions of acting and functioning as a group member are studied in this chapter. One can function and act as a group member either in the we-mode or in the I-mode. In the latter case, one adopts the group's constitutive goals, values, norms, and standards—briefly its “ethos”—in a private sense, whereas in the former case these are collectively accepted and the group members are collectively committed to them. Accordingly, we-mode reasons for actions and mental states are group-based and collectively constructed, while I-mode reasons are private. We-mode acting as group member is called the “standard” sense and the latter the “weak” sense of acting as a group member. The notion of collective commitment—viewed as a conceptual entailment of we-mode collective acceptance—is clarified and shown to be “group-socially” normative and its functions in central group contexts are discussed. Furthermore, the problems of satisfying and maintaining the group's ethos are considered at length.
A distinction between we-mode groups and I-mode groups is made. We-mode groups are social constructions based on collective acceptance, whereas I-mode groups are based on their membersʼ private commitments to some shared goals, beliefs, norms etc., and are not collectively constructed as groups. We-mode groups can be instrumentalistically viewed as agents, although this is not correct from an ontological point of view.
James Pereiro
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199230297
- eISBN:
- 9780191710650
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230297.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This Introduction outlines the purpose of the book, namely to study a very important but neglected aspect of the Oxford Movement. The student of the Oxford Movement is very familiar with the concept ...
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This Introduction outlines the purpose of the book, namely to study a very important but neglected aspect of the Oxford Movement. The student of the Oxford Movement is very familiar with the concept of ethos. The book's contention is that in the language of the Tractarians, ethos is a concept rich in consequences, involving a complex theory of religious knowledge which deeply influenced the genesis and development of the Oxford Movement. The Introduction talks about the genesis of the book and outlines the chapters in turn.Less
This Introduction outlines the purpose of the book, namely to study a very important but neglected aspect of the Oxford Movement. The student of the Oxford Movement is very familiar with the concept of ethos. The book's contention is that in the language of the Tractarians, ethos is a concept rich in consequences, involving a complex theory of religious knowledge which deeply influenced the genesis and development of the Oxford Movement. The Introduction talks about the genesis of the book and outlines the chapters in turn.
James Pereiro
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199230297
- eISBN:
- 9780191710650
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230297.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This chapter explores the role ethos played in the genesis of Newman's theory of development. It begins with an analysis of Wood's theory of doctrinal development, and Newman's and Manning's negative ...
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This chapter explores the role ethos played in the genesis of Newman's theory of development. It begins with an analysis of Wood's theory of doctrinal development, and Newman's and Manning's negative response to it. The chapter tries to trace the intellectual difficulties and tensions Newman faced before his acceptance of doctrinal development, and shows how the concept of ethos contributed to the solution of those objections and to the formulation of his theory.Less
This chapter explores the role ethos played in the genesis of Newman's theory of development. It begins with an analysis of Wood's theory of doctrinal development, and Newman's and Manning's negative response to it. The chapter tries to trace the intellectual difficulties and tensions Newman faced before his acceptance of doctrinal development, and shows how the concept of ethos contributed to the solution of those objections and to the formulation of his theory.
James Pereiro
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199230297
- eISBN:
- 9780191710650
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230297.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This chapter considers how far ethos determined the Tractarian stance towards the Reformers, the English Reformation, Church parties (Evangelical and High Church), and the Church of England itself. ...
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This chapter considers how far ethos determined the Tractarian stance towards the Reformers, the English Reformation, Church parties (Evangelical and High Church), and the Church of England itself. It also studies the Oxford Movement's historical analysis and predictions about how a defective ethos (Evangelical or High Church) leads toward rationalism, and later to infidelity. It ends with a study of the controversy about the arguments in favour or against remaining in the Church of England.Less
This chapter considers how far ethos determined the Tractarian stance towards the Reformers, the English Reformation, Church parties (Evangelical and High Church), and the Church of England itself. It also studies the Oxford Movement's historical analysis and predictions about how a defective ethos (Evangelical or High Church) leads toward rationalism, and later to infidelity. It ends with a study of the controversy about the arguments in favour or against remaining in the Church of England.
James Pereiro
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199230297
- eISBN:
- 9780191710650
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230297.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This Conlusion sums up the discussions in the preceeding chapters and analyses what the book has achieved in its discussions. Ethos played an important role in almost every aspect of the Oxford ...
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This Conlusion sums up the discussions in the preceeding chapters and analyses what the book has achieved in its discussions. Ethos played an important role in almost every aspect of the Oxford Movement. Its influence, though normally hidden below the surface, can be detected in a multitude of ways at all times. The present study has suggested that much. However, ethos did have a more universal dimension. The Conclusion considers this.Less
This Conlusion sums up the discussions in the preceeding chapters and analyses what the book has achieved in its discussions. Ethos played an important role in almost every aspect of the Oxford Movement. Its influence, though normally hidden below the surface, can be detected in a multitude of ways at all times. The present study has suggested that much. However, ethos did have a more universal dimension. The Conclusion considers this.
Raymond Plant
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199281756
- eISBN:
- 9780191713040
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199281756.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Theory
One of the central themes of this chapter is the neo‐liberal critique of the ‘public service ethic’ which it has been thought by Social Democratic thinkers as the main way in which the ...
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One of the central themes of this chapter is the neo‐liberal critique of the ‘public service ethic’ which it has been thought by Social Democratic thinkers as the main way in which the self‐interested behaviour of welfare bureaucracies can be constrained. The chapter looks at the close links between the neo‐liberal approach to this and the Public Choice School of public policy analysts who argue that the role and expansion of welfare bureaucracy is best explained by the utility maximizing behaviour at work in such bureaucracies when they are exempt from market disciplines and the possibility of bankruptcy. The role of interest groups in a welfare state is taken up again with reference to the work of Macur Olson in terms of his account of the rigidities caused to the economy by long lasting interest groups. The neo‐liberal approach to trades unions is also considered in this chapter.Less
One of the central themes of this chapter is the neo‐liberal critique of the ‘public service ethic’ which it has been thought by Social Democratic thinkers as the main way in which the self‐interested behaviour of welfare bureaucracies can be constrained. The chapter looks at the close links between the neo‐liberal approach to this and the Public Choice School of public policy analysts who argue that the role and expansion of welfare bureaucracy is best explained by the utility maximizing behaviour at work in such bureaucracies when they are exempt from market disciplines and the possibility of bankruptcy. The role of interest groups in a welfare state is taken up again with reference to the work of Macur Olson in terms of his account of the rigidities caused to the economy by long lasting interest groups. The neo‐liberal approach to trades unions is also considered in this chapter.
Harvey Cox
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691158853
- eISBN:
- 9781400848850
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691158853.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter shows how the humanization of sex is impeded. First, it is thwarted by the parading of cultural-identity images for the sexually dispossessed, to make money. These images become the ...
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This chapter shows how the humanization of sex is impeded. First, it is thwarted by the parading of cultural-identity images for the sexually dispossessed, to make money. These images become the tyrant gods of the secular society, undercutting its liberation from religion and transforming it into a kind of neotribal culture. Second, the authentic secularization of sex is checkmated by an anxious clinging to the sexual standards of the town, an era so recent and yet so different from today that simply to transplant its sexual ethos into today's situation is to invite hypocrisy of the worst degree. The chapter then looks at the spurious sexual models conjured up for the anxious society by the sorcerers of the mass media and the advertising guild. Like all pagan deities, these come in pairs—the god and his consort. For this chapter's purposes they are best symbolized by The Playboy and Miss America.Less
This chapter shows how the humanization of sex is impeded. First, it is thwarted by the parading of cultural-identity images for the sexually dispossessed, to make money. These images become the tyrant gods of the secular society, undercutting its liberation from religion and transforming it into a kind of neotribal culture. Second, the authentic secularization of sex is checkmated by an anxious clinging to the sexual standards of the town, an era so recent and yet so different from today that simply to transplant its sexual ethos into today's situation is to invite hypocrisy of the worst degree. The chapter then looks at the spurious sexual models conjured up for the anxious society by the sorcerers of the mass media and the advertising guild. Like all pagan deities, these come in pairs—the god and his consort. For this chapter's purposes they are best symbolized by The Playboy and Miss America.
Ennis Barrington Edmonds
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195133769
- eISBN:
- 9780199834167
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195133765.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
Since its emergence in the margins of 1930s Jamaican society, Rastafari has moved to the forefront of Jamaican popular culture. This transition has been occasioned by Rastafari's own internal ...
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Since its emergence in the margins of 1930s Jamaican society, Rastafari has moved to the forefront of Jamaican popular culture. This transition has been occasioned by Rastafari's own internal dynamics, by the gradual shift from a more conflict‐ridden relationship to rapprochement between the movement and the wider society, and by the ability of the movement to insert itself in the cultural life of the society. With regard to its internal development, Rastas have evolved a dynamic social ethos with informal social relationships facilitated through a network of “houses” and “mansions,” a highly developed view of the world expressed in a variety of symbols, and period ritual activities that initiate and confirm individuals in the principles and ethos of Rastafari. The relationship between Rastafari and the wider society has evolved from outright confrontation in the early years of the movement, to a more accommodating posture in the 1960s, to a more aggressive cooptation and use of Rastafarian symbols in the 1970s, and finally, to a positive embrace of Rastafarian contribution to the indigenous culture and the commodification of the Rastafarian image and symbols for “culture tourism” since the 1980s. Rastafarian influence on Jamaica's indigenous culture is quite pervasive, but the most celebrated influence has been on reggae, Jamaican popular music, made famous around the world by Bob Marley and the Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, Third World, and others. Though Rastafari does not have the centralized institutions that Max Weber regarded as necessary for routinization, the factors outlined above have contributed to its entrenchment in the fabric of Jamaica's cultural life.Less
Since its emergence in the margins of 1930s Jamaican society, Rastafari has moved to the forefront of Jamaican popular culture. This transition has been occasioned by Rastafari's own internal dynamics, by the gradual shift from a more conflict‐ridden relationship to rapprochement between the movement and the wider society, and by the ability of the movement to insert itself in the cultural life of the society. With regard to its internal development, Rastas have evolved a dynamic social ethos with informal social relationships facilitated through a network of “houses” and “mansions,” a highly developed view of the world expressed in a variety of symbols, and period ritual activities that initiate and confirm individuals in the principles and ethos of Rastafari. The relationship between Rastafari and the wider society has evolved from outright confrontation in the early years of the movement, to a more accommodating posture in the 1960s, to a more aggressive cooptation and use of Rastafarian symbols in the 1970s, and finally, to a positive embrace of Rastafarian contribution to the indigenous culture and the commodification of the Rastafarian image and symbols for “culture tourism” since the 1980s. Rastafarian influence on Jamaica's indigenous culture is quite pervasive, but the most celebrated influence has been on reggae, Jamaican popular music, made famous around the world by Bob Marley and the Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, Third World, and others. Though Rastafari does not have the centralized institutions that Max Weber regarded as necessary for routinization, the factors outlined above have contributed to its entrenchment in the fabric of Jamaica's cultural life.
Ennis Barrington Edmonds
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195133769
- eISBN:
- 9780199834167
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195133765.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The continued existence of social movements usually depends on the development of hierarchical institutional structures. Rastafari, however, is characterized by an ethos rather than institutional ...
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The continued existence of social movements usually depends on the development of hierarchical institutional structures. Rastafari, however, is characterized by an ethos rather than institutional structures. This ethos is characterized by three essential elements: (1) a reticulated social structure or web‐like network of individuals, “houses,” and “mansions” (various groupings of Rastas); (2) a worldview encoded in symbols and symbolic references such as dreadlocks, Ethiopian colors, and Babylon; and (3) ritual activities – primarily ganja (marijuana) smoking and “reasoning” – collectively known as “grounding.”Less
The continued existence of social movements usually depends on the development of hierarchical institutional structures. Rastafari, however, is characterized by an ethos rather than institutional structures. This ethos is characterized by three essential elements: (1) a reticulated social structure or web‐like network of individuals, “houses,” and “mansions” (various groupings of Rastas); (2) a worldview encoded in symbols and symbolic references such as dreadlocks, Ethiopian colors, and Babylon; and (3) ritual activities – primarily ganja (marijuana) smoking and “reasoning” – collectively known as “grounding.”
Ennis Barrington Edmonds
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195133769
- eISBN:
- 9780199834167
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195133765.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This study of Rastafari suggests that charisma is a collective social phenomenon, generated as much by historical and social forces, as by the extraordinary qualities of charismatic leaders. The ...
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This study of Rastafari suggests that charisma is a collective social phenomenon, generated as much by historical and social forces, as by the extraordinary qualities of charismatic leaders. The simultaneous appearance of multiple charismatic leaders advocating a similar message during the emergence of Rastafari supports this conclusion. With regard to routinization, this study of Rastafari further suggests that a new movement may become entrenched in the fabric of a culture or society without developing the institutional structures generally associated with routinization. In this respect, closer attention should be paid to the internal development of the movement, its ongoing relationship with the rest of the society, and especially its ability to influence cultural change. Future development in the structure and ethos of Rastafari will depend on which impulse gains ascendancy – the traditional philosophical individuality or the yearning for some kind of centralized organization that will be able to pursue more systemic structural change in Jamaican society.Less
This study of Rastafari suggests that charisma is a collective social phenomenon, generated as much by historical and social forces, as by the extraordinary qualities of charismatic leaders. The simultaneous appearance of multiple charismatic leaders advocating a similar message during the emergence of Rastafari supports this conclusion. With regard to routinization, this study of Rastafari further suggests that a new movement may become entrenched in the fabric of a culture or society without developing the institutional structures generally associated with routinization. In this respect, closer attention should be paid to the internal development of the movement, its ongoing relationship with the rest of the society, and especially its ability to influence cultural change. Future development in the structure and ethos of Rastafari will depend on which impulse gains ascendancy – the traditional philosophical individuality or the yearning for some kind of centralized organization that will be able to pursue more systemic structural change in Jamaican society.
Paul Woodruff
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332001
- eISBN:
- 9780199868186
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332001.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
A character, in the art of theater, is a person worth watching, whether that person is fictional, historical, or actually present. Persons are worth watching if we are able to see them as agents with ...
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A character, in the art of theater, is a person worth watching, whether that person is fictional, historical, or actually present. Persons are worth watching if we are able to see them as agents with whom we can become emotionally engaged; they are carable about. A particular character takes his or her identity not from personal qualities or êthos, which is a universal, but from particular relationships with other characters. To be coherent, a character should act in ways that do not defy reasonable expectation (Aristotle's eikos), but characters may be reasonably expected to do unreasonable things. The most effective character is a “center of love,” who loves and is loved, and who has a past and pursues a future. This presents a problem for comedy, which often engages audiences through means other than character.Less
A character, in the art of theater, is a person worth watching, whether that person is fictional, historical, or actually present. Persons are worth watching if we are able to see them as agents with whom we can become emotionally engaged; they are carable about. A particular character takes his or her identity not from personal qualities or êthos, which is a universal, but from particular relationships with other characters. To be coherent, a character should act in ways that do not defy reasonable expectation (Aristotle's eikos), but characters may be reasonably expected to do unreasonable things. The most effective character is a “center of love,” who loves and is loved, and who has a past and pursues a future. This presents a problem for comedy, which often engages audiences through means other than character.
Joy Connolly
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691162591
- eISBN:
- 9781400852475
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691162591.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This chapter summarizes key themes and presents some final thoughts. The book has attempted to show how reading Roman texts can reshape our habits of political thinking, our ethos of civic being. ...
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This chapter summarizes key themes and presents some final thoughts. The book has attempted to show how reading Roman texts can reshape our habits of political thinking, our ethos of civic being. Beyond this goal, the author hopes that close attention to these texts has the capacity to reshape the way we think about civic wisdom—the way schools teach history, literature, civics, and philosophy—about public discourse, especially public commentary on political oratory, and about the conversations we citizens hold among ourselves. The book has sought to offer practical tools for civic education by articulating learnable practices of knowing the world that characterize late republican texts.Less
This chapter summarizes key themes and presents some final thoughts. The book has attempted to show how reading Roman texts can reshape our habits of political thinking, our ethos of civic being. Beyond this goal, the author hopes that close attention to these texts has the capacity to reshape the way we think about civic wisdom—the way schools teach history, literature, civics, and philosophy—about public discourse, especially public commentary on political oratory, and about the conversations we citizens hold among ourselves. The book has sought to offer practical tools for civic education by articulating learnable practices of knowing the world that characterize late republican texts.
Kok-Chor Tan
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199588855
- eISBN:
- 9780191738586
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199588855.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter recounts the justifications for the institutional approach, arguing in particular that an institutional focus allows for a way of balancing the demands of justice and the legitimate ...
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This chapter recounts the justifications for the institutional approach, arguing in particular that an institutional focus allows for a way of balancing the demands of justice and the legitimate demands of personal life. The argument is not simply that institutions affect persons’ life prospects profoundly and pervasively from the start. More importantly, it stresses that an exclusive focus on institutions preserves space for individuals to engage in meaningful and valuable personal pursuits. On the reasonable presumption of value pluralism, the institutional approach provides the most plausible demarcation of the site of equality.Less
This chapter recounts the justifications for the institutional approach, arguing in particular that an institutional focus allows for a way of balancing the demands of justice and the legitimate demands of personal life. The argument is not simply that institutions affect persons’ life prospects profoundly and pervasively from the start. More importantly, it stresses that an exclusive focus on institutions preserves space for individuals to engage in meaningful and valuable personal pursuits. On the reasonable presumption of value pluralism, the institutional approach provides the most plausible demarcation of the site of equality.
Kok-Chor Tan
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199588855
- eISBN:
- 9780191738586
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199588855.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter develops and clarifies the institutional account proposed in the previous chapter by posing it against some of the important criticisms leveled against the institutional approach. ...
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This chapter develops and clarifies the institutional account proposed in the previous chapter by posing it against some of the important criticisms leveled against the institutional approach. Special attention will be given to objections of the form advanced by G. A. Cohen, as well as to Cohen’s recent replies to his own critics. The chapter invokes and reinforces the idea advanced in Chapter 2, that in light of value pluralism the institutional focus provides a plausible understanding of the site of egalitarian justice, whereas a more encompassing trans-institutional approach does not provide proper space for valued and valuable personal pursuits. The latter thus contradicts the end of liberal justice, namely that of providing the appropriate framework within which persons may freely and equally, but permissibly and fervently, pursue their ends. It stresses that the institutional approach is not a compromise of justice against personal pursuits; in fact, the primacy of justice is preserved on this approach, for the rules of just institutions set the range of personal ends that persons may permissibly pursue and the means by which they can pursue them.Less
This chapter develops and clarifies the institutional account proposed in the previous chapter by posing it against some of the important criticisms leveled against the institutional approach. Special attention will be given to objections of the form advanced by G. A. Cohen, as well as to Cohen’s recent replies to his own critics. The chapter invokes and reinforces the idea advanced in Chapter 2, that in light of value pluralism the institutional focus provides a plausible understanding of the site of egalitarian justice, whereas a more encompassing trans-institutional approach does not provide proper space for valued and valuable personal pursuits. The latter thus contradicts the end of liberal justice, namely that of providing the appropriate framework within which persons may freely and equally, but permissibly and fervently, pursue their ends. It stresses that the institutional approach is not a compromise of justice against personal pursuits; in fact, the primacy of justice is preserved on this approach, for the rules of just institutions set the range of personal ends that persons may permissibly pursue and the means by which they can pursue them.
