In Defence of Second-best Theory
State, Class and Capital in Social Policy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2116612 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter Taylor-Gooby (0000-0002-4825-1250, University of Kent, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1997 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 171-192 |
| Publication date | 1997-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Social Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-2794 • E-ISSN: 1469-7823 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0047279497004996 |
| OpenAlex | W2135739880 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 25 |
| References cited | 6 |
The sociology of post-fordism has facilitated the development of a new welfarism which suggests that economic globalisation, labour market flexibility, more complex patterns of family life and the dissolution of traditional class structures require a new welfare settlement. Since full employment, redistribution and expensive universal services are no longer seen as feasible, the new welfare can only justify social spending as investment in human capital and as the enhancement of individual opportunities. Welfare states are all driven in the same direction by the imperatives of international competition.A review of available evidence indicates that the progress of post-fordist social change is partial. Inequalities in life-chances have grown wider. Changes in patterns of employment and new legislation weaken the working class. The ruling class is well aware of its interests. Increases in productivity at a time when investment is not rising, the decline in union membership and militancy and the intensification of work coupled with a policy stance by both main parties that supports lower taxes, a shift in the tax burden downwards and a decline in state intervention all indicate that capital is in the ascendant in the UK. Comparative work shows that the policies pursued under different regimes can make a difference to welfare outcomes despite the increased stringency of competition. The traditional agenda of social policy – class inequality, the strength of capital and the policy programme of the nation-state – merits particular attention in Britain in the 1990s
Economic system · Economics · Labour economics · Market economy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Redistribution (election) · Welfare state · Employment and Welfare Studies · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Social Policy and Reform Studies
The Transformation of Solidarity
Novi prioriteti za socijalnu politiku i kriminologiju
The Transformation of Solidarity
Social Politics and Policy in an Era of Globalization
Globalisation, Welfare Retrenchment and 'the Logic of No Alternative
Individualisation et modèles de gestion des finances au sein des familles
Policy Developments for Workplace Gender Equity in a Global Era
Postmaterialist Influences on Welfare Adequacy and Political Trust in Hong Kong
Globalization and Social Policy
The ideological roots of the support for welfare state reform
Minimum income programme and welfare dependency in China
Introduction
Geography and social policy
Routledge International Handbook of Poverty
Usurping Social Policy
The new political economy of the UK NHS
Beyond universalism and particularism
Popular paradigms and welfare values
Agency, social theory and social policy
Crisis and Welfare State Change in the Netherlands
The Politics of 'Integrated' Local Policy in England
Learning by numbers? The use of indicators in the co-ordination of social inclusion policies in Europe
Decommodification and the Workfare State
The Illusion of Class in Welfare State Politics
Relating social welfare to life satisfaction in the postmodern era of Hong Kong
| Citations per year | 0.89 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1998 - 2019 (22) |
| Highly cited | No |