1 ONE Introduction: administering welfare reform Menno Fenger and Paul Henman After a century of relatively unchallenged growth of the welfare state, the last decade of the 20th century marked the start of the era of welfare reform. The Reagan and Thatcher administrations appeared to be among welfare reform’s frontrunners in the 1980s, but throughout the remaining years of the 20th and the start of the 21st century, welfare reform has been a prominent item on the agenda of almost every government in the modern democratic capitalist world. Among the developments
81 FIVE Welfare reform Ben Spies-Butcher Recent discussions of welfare reform have been unusually divided. Many see the Australian welfare state transformed by neoliberal economic restructuring, which has increased inequality and left many vulnerable (Bryson and Verity, 2009; Jamrozik, 2009). Others have argued that alongside market restructuring Australian governments have also renovated past social protections, expanding social spending and addressing new forms of social insecurity (Castles, 1994; Mendes, 2009). The diversity is partly explained by the
117 FIVE Ending welfare dependency? Experiencing welfare reform Since the 1970s, mainstream politicians have been concerned with addressing what they have described as cultures of ‘welfare dependency’: the notion that for many people it has become the norm to ‘choose’ benefits receipt over paid work (Dean and Taylor-Gooby, 1992; Hills, 2015). Successive waves of welfare reform have sought to undermine this supposed ‘welfare dependency’ and ‘activate’ benefit claimants by introducing policies designed to support transitions from ‘welfare’ into ‘work
While reforms of welfare policies have been widely analysed, the reform of welfare administration has received far less attention. Using empirical case studies, this book provides significant new insights into the way welfare administration is being internationally transformed. Particular attention is given to the effect on welfare clients, staff and agencies.
“Administering welfare reform” presents a critical analysis of governance practices in welfare administration and examines shifts in the participants, practices and processes of welfare administration. It presents original empirical case studies that highlight the effects of reforming welfare governance on welfare subjects, staff and agencies and provides a much-needed international and comparative perspective of changing welfare governance.
This book is aimed at scholars and advanced students of sociology, social policy, economics, public administration and management, as well as social policy practitioners and service delivery workers.
15 Social security and welfare reform under New Labour ONE Social security and welfare reform under New Labour Peter A. Kemp Introduction Since 1997, the New Labour government has been very active in reforming the social security system in Britain. As well as major changes to key benefits, there has been a succession of minor reforms, amendments and extensions to numerous aspects of social security. This almost hectic activity has been driven by a number of important factors. In part, it reflects New Labour’s belief that social security needs to be modernised
145 EIGHT social security and welfare reform Stephen McKay and Karen Rowlingson Radical reform of the social security system is rare as it affects the lives of so many people. Spending on social security was anticipated as being £196 billion in 2010/11, an increase from £143 billion (real terms) in 1997/98. This may be expressed as an increase from 12.6% of GDP to 13.4%. A sizeable rise, therefore, but smaller than had been seen in either the NHS (5.2% to 8.7%) or in education (4.6% to 6.1%) over the same period. The extensive reach of the system
53 FOUR social security and welfare reform Stephen McKay and Karen Rowlingson introduction The UK social security system is a huge, complex juggernaut that has grown in a largely incremental way over at least the last century (McKay and Rowlingson, 1998). Government spending on social protection (principally social security benefits) takes up around £159 billion, well over one quarter of all public spending and more than the total raised in income tax (£154 billion) (HM Treasury, 2007). Radical reform is rare as the system affects the lives of so many
613 Policy & Politics vol 39 no 4 • 613-21 (2011) • http://dx.doi.org/10.1332/147084411X581853 © The Policy Press, 2011 • ISSN 0305 5736 Key words: personalisation • self-directed support • welfare reform • citizenship • choice and control DEBATE A Beveridge report for the 21st century? The implications of self-directed support for future welfare reform Jon Glasby, Simon Duffy, Catherine Needham In the early 21st century, elements of the English welfare state are in the middle of a ‘transformation’ process based on the concepts of personalisation and self
19 TWO Welfare reform as governance reform: the prospects of a governmentality perspective Paul Henman How might we think about the nature of welfare reform and its administration? This chapter, and this book more generally, argue that an understanding of welfare reform cannot be achieved without reference to its administration. Welfare administration is the very locus in which the operation and effect of policy is defined and governmental power relations flowing through welfare agencies, staff and claimants constituted. This chapter begins with this perspective
37 Journal of Poverty and Social Justice • vol 22 • no 1 • 37–44 • © Policy Press 2014 • #JPSJ Print ISSN 1759 8273 • Online ISSN 1759 8281 • http://dx.doi.org/10.1332/175982714X13875308002243 Talking Universal Credit: in conversation with Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform Roy Sainsbury, University of York, UK roy.sainsbury@york.ac.uk This article draws on an interview with Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform since May 2010, and explores the origins of Universal Credit and how it was turned over the course of five years or so from an aspirational
