Justifying pension reforms
Comparing policy discourses in Norway and the UK
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12627652 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Patrick Ring (0000-0003-4451-9480, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK, corresponding author), Rune Ervik (0000-0002-4937-2724, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, Bergen, Norway), Tord Skogedal Lindén (0000-0003-1498-7160, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, Bergen, Norway) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 306-326 |
| Publication date | 2020-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Journal of Social Security (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1388-2627 • E-ISSN: 2399-2948 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1388262720950736 |
| OpenAlex | W3047571828 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 23 |
The latest UK and Norwegian state pension reforms have reflected contrasting policy design in the balance of private pensions, savings and state provision. Nevertheless, we argue that both governments have in many ways adopted strikingly similar approaches in seeking public acceptance of these potentially controversial reforms, employing a similar repertoire of discursive elements to persuade populations about their logic and rationality. Based on critical analysis of government policy papers, speeches and parliamentary debates, we find that both countries emphasise ‘sustainability’ and ‘fairness’ within an increasingly individualised context where both systems are characterized as facilitating individuals’ efforts to attain security in retirement through ‘choice’ or ‘flexibility’. Significantly, contrasting symbolic metaphors are adopted to situate these reforms, and their proponents, within the heritage and traditions of their different welfare systems, which we find is a key element in successfully implementing the reforms. We note the implications of this research for the analysis of European state pension reform
Context (archaeology · Economics · Flexibility (engineering · Government (linguistics · Norwegian · Pension · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public economics · Rationality · State (computer science · Welfare state · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Public Administration · Social Policy and Reform Studies
Basic Content Analysis
Pensions at a Glance 2017
Trade unions and the politics of occupational pensions in Denmark and Norway
After Austerity
Ideas and Politics in Social Science Research
Democracy and Discourse in an Integrating Europe and a Globalising World
Austerity, ageing and the financialisation of pensions policy in the UK
The implications of the economic crisis for pensions and pension policy in Europe
The Social Democrats and the Norwegian Welfare State
Why Do People Stigmatise the Poor at a Time of Rapidly Increasing Inequality, and What Can Be Done About It
How much do OECD countries spend on social protection and how redistributive are their tax/benefit systems
How electoral vulnerability affects pension politics
Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis
The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism
Private Pension Planning
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,4 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2023 (3) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |