scholarly journals Discipline, debt and coercive commodification: Post-crisis neoliberalism and the welfare state in Ireland, the UK and the USA

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 482-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Dukelow ◽  
Patricia Kennett
Keyword(s):  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Welfare Capitalism ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Social Divisions ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Liberal Capitalism ◽  
International Comparative ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Market Relations ◽  
The Welfare State

Ireland, the UK and the USA are heterogeneous examples of liberal worlds of welfare capitalism yet all three countries were deeply implicated in the 2008 global financial crisis. Examining these three countries together provides the opportunity to further develop an international comparative political economy of instability in the context of the globalised and financialised dimensions of Anglo-liberal capitalism and disciplinary governance. Our analysis is guided by the concept of disciplinary neoliberalism (Gill, 1995) through which we explore: (i) the dynamics that have shaped the impacts of and responses to the Great Recession; (ii) the ways in which state-market relations, shaped by differentiated accommodations to market imperative or market discipline, have been used as disciplinary tools and how these have interacted with existing social divisions and iii) the implications for shaping conditions for resistance. We suggest that the neoliberal pathways of each country, whilst not uniform, mark a ‘step-change’ and acceleration in the operation of disciplinary neoliberalism, and is particularly evident in what we identify as the coercive commodification of social policy.

Remembering and Rethinking the Social Divisions of Welfare: 50 Years On

2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
KIRK MANN
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Public Welfare ◽  
Memorial Lecture ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
Social Divisions ◽  
Analytical Potential ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Welfare State

AbstractThis article revisits Titmuss's essay on the Social Divisions of Welfare (SDW) and reflects on its continuing relevance. Titmuss first presented the SDW in an Eleanor Rathbone Memorial lecture at Birmingham University in 1955, but it is best known from hisEssays on the Welfare Statepublished in 1958. Titmuss challenged the stereotype of ‘welfare’ as simply public welfare dependency and illustrated the different elements of the SDW. Some limitations of Titmuss's approach are identified, notably in relation to how he saw dependency arising, and revisions offered. The article provides a number of examples from the UK but also highlights some significant parallels with the SDW in the USA and Australia, the so-called ‘liberal welfare regimes’ (Esping-Andersen, 1990). Finally, it is claimed that 50 years on we need to be reminded of the insights and analytical potential of Titmuss's essay.

Implications of online funding regulations for small businesses

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Yeoh
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Investment Opportunities ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Small Investors ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the implications of exemptions to facilitate small businesses’ access to crowdfunding (CF) schemes. The aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis and even now witnessed many small profits and non-profits encountering significant difficulties in accessing funding from the conventional sources and on many occasions have to turn to the newly emerging Internet-enabled donation or product compensation CF schemes. Access to securities-based CF schemes has, however, been seriously difficult due to securities laws obstacles. Regulatory authorities in the USA and the UK have responded with exemptions to facilitate small businesses’ access to CF. Design/methodology/approach – The paper driven by the qualitative doctrinal approach would rely extensively on primary data from the applicable regulations and secondary data from industry sources and other publicly available commentaries. Findings – Securities-based CF schemes hitherto heavily restricted in the USA and the UK are under current regulatory interventions-accorded exemption status, thereby enabling enhanced access for those small businesses seeking alternatives to conventional financing and enhanced investment opportunities for small investors. The paper’s preliminary analysis suggests that the proposed new regulatory rules in the USA and the UK are generally well-balanced with adequate small investors’ protection, while simultaneously not hampering the innovative growth of small businesses with excessive restrictions. Further, the preparedness of the regulators to fine-tune the proposed rules as the CF industry evolves would likely ensure its orderly growth, thereby helping to address various humanitarian and social challenges in these jurisdictions. Originality/value – The added value of the analysis lies in its substantive evaluation of the proposed rules in both jurisdictions to ascertain the feasibility of securities-based CF schemes as alternatives for small businesses in relation to traditional financing and enhanced investment opportunities for small unsophisticated investors.

It is a scandal!

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 2-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Lloyd ◽  
Albert Banerjee ◽  
Charlene Harrington ◽  
Frode F. Jacobsen ◽  
Marta Szebehely
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Care Policy ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Trends ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
The Usa ◽  
International Comparative ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – This study aims to explore the causes and consequences of media scandals involving nursing homes for older persons in Canada, Norway, Sweden, the UK and the USA. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses a descriptive case-study methodology which provides an in-depth, focused, qualitative analysis of one selected nursing home scandal in each jurisdiction. Scandals were selected on the basis of being substantive enough to potentially affect policy. An international comparative perspective was adopted to consider whether and how different social, political and economic contexts might shape scandals and their consequences. Findings – This study found that for-profit residential care provision as well as international trends in the ownership and financing of nursing homes were factors in the emergence of all media scandals, as was investigative reporting and a lack of consensus around the role of the state in the delivery of residential care. All scandals resulted in government action but such action generally avoided addressing underlying structural conditions. Research limitations/implications – This study examines only the short-term effects of five media scandals. Originality/value – While there has been longstanding recognition of the importance of scandals to the development of residential care policy, there have been few studies that have systematically examined the causes and consequences of such scandals. This paper contributes to a research agenda that more fully considers the media's role in the development of residential care policy, attending to both its promises and shortcomings.

scholarly journals Economic inequality global knowledge in the context of historical research of social policy issues

2019 ◽  
pp. 211-214
Author(s):  
Yuriy S. Nikiforov
Keyword(s):  
Wealth Distribution ◽  
Economic Inequality ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Scientific Conference ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Main Attention ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Income And Wealth Distribution ◽  
The Welfare State

The article presents an overview of the international scientific conference "The Global Knowledge of Economic Inequality. The Measurement of Income and Wealth Distribution since 1945", which took place on November 15 to 17, 2018, at the German Historical Institute London (United Kingdom). The conference was dedicated to the state and to prospects of research into the problems of economic inequality in the world. The main attention of the conference participants was focused on issues of the welfare state, economic inequality, its measurement, income, wealth, and poverty in various perspectives. More than 30 people made presentations in English and in discussions, including scientists from the UK, China, Russia, the USA, Germany, France and other countries.

scholarly journals Tenure transitions at the edges of ownership: Reinforcing or challenging the status quo?

2021 ◽  
pp. 0308518X2110389
Author(s):  
Rachel Ong ViforJ ◽  
William A.V. Clark ◽  
Susan J. Smith ◽  
Gavin A. Wood ◽  
William Lisowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Housing Tenure ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
Latent Demand ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Policy Shifts

This paper provides an empirical overview of housing tenure transitions in Australia, the UK and the USA during a period of unprecedented economic instability in 2001–2017. Focusing on the neglected theme of episodic homeownership, we profile those who straddle the tenure divide by moving into and out of renting from time to time. Using panel data we model this ‘churn’ in three jurisdictions, showing that even the dislocation of a global financial crisis does not eclipse the independent impact of life events during rental spells. We find that whatever individuals bring from prior ownership, shocks occurring during a rental spell – unemployment, loss of a partner, additional dependent children – can be sufficient to prevent return. Churning is also health- and age-selective, adding ‘drop-out’ among the old to ‘lock-out’ for the young as a policy concern. Even those who successfully regain owner-occupation increase their credit and investment risks without necessarily improving their housing position. Overall ‘churners’ are a diverse constituency whose life chances are powerfully shaped by episodic ownership: what they share is time spent in an unacknowledged, under-instituted space between tenures where there is latent demand for innovative financial services and untapped potential for radical policy shifts.

scholarly journals Shareholder empowerment, steps forward and steps back

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-196
Author(s):  
Saad Almohammed Alrayes
Keyword(s):  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Fiduciary Duty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Shareholder Engagement ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The global financial crisis of 2007-2008 prompted a significant debate on corporate governance and shareholder empowerment. A question arises as to whether shareholders ought to be further empowered to have a greater influence over the companies’ activities. Yet, it is not self-evident that shareholder empowerment ensures better-run companies’ corporate activities. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to critically examine, identify and explain the corporate regulation forms and control collectively to evaluate the effectiveness of shareholder empowerment fully. Design/methodology/approach To do so, this paper sets out a comparative analysis approach between two jurisdictions, the UK and Delaware in the USA. The paper further addresses by undertaking three case studies; Barclays Plc which illustrated the Comply or Explain role, AVIVA (2012) that concentrated on the impact of the shareholder revolt, and the case of Hills Stores Co. v. Bozic (2000), which involved a claim brought by shareholders on the grounds of a breach of fiduciary duty. Findings This paper argues that the shareholder empowerment theoretically provides an effective means through which corporate activities can be regulated. However, to do this, account must be taken that a distinction should be made between long-term and short-term investors to encourage shareholder engagement by responsible long-term investors. Furthermore, the shareholders can exercise their powers effectively and influence the Board’s decision to award executive compensation. Originality/value This paper offered two distinct contributions: assessing whether in times of crisis shareholder empowerment represents a way to regulate corporate activities and by assessing the distinction between the perception of shareholder empowerment and the reality in practice.

Environmental Transformation of the State: The USA, Norway, Germany and the UK

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 659-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Dryzek ◽  
Christian Hunold ◽  
David Schlosberg ◽  
David Downes ◽  
Hans-Kristian Hernes
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
The State ◽  
Historical Study ◽  
Environmental Transformation ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Capitalist State ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Welfare State

Modern states underwent two major transformations that produced first, the liberal capitalist state and second, the welfare state. Each was accompanied by the migration of a previously confrontational movement into the core of the state. In the creation of the liberal capitalist state, the bourgeoisie could harmonize with the state's emerging interest in economic growth. In the creation of the welfare state, the organized working class could harmonize with the state's emerging interest in legitimating the political economy by curbing capitalism's instability and inequality. We show that environmental conservation could now emerge as a core state interest, growing out of these established economic and legitimation imperatives. This examination is grounded in a comparative historical study of four countries: the USA, Norway, Germany, and the UK, each of which exemplifies a particular kind of interest representation. We show why the USA was an environmental pioneer around 1970, why it was then eclipsed by Norway, and why Germany now leads in addressing environmental concerns.

scholarly journals Demand effects of fiscal policy since 2008

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Engelbert Stockhammer ◽  
Walid Qazizada ◽  
Sebastian Gechert
Keyword(s):  
Fiscal Policy ◽  
Fiscal Policies ◽  
Fiscal Multipliers ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Demand Effects ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Open Question ◽  
The Impact

The Great Recession of 2007–2009 has led to controversies about the role of fiscal policy. Academically this has translated into renewed interest in the effects of fiscal policy. Several studies have since suggested that fiscal multipliers are substantially larger in downswings or depressions than in upswings. In terms of economic policy reactions, countries have differed substantially in their fiscal stance. It is an important open question how big the impact of these policies on economic growth has been. The paper uses the regime-dependent multiplier estimates by Qazizada and Stockhammer (2015) and by Gechert and Rannenberg (2014) to calculate the demand effects of fiscal policy for Germany, the USA, the UK, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain since 2008. This allows us to assess to what extent fiscal policy explains different economic performances across countries. We find expansionary fiscal policy in 2008–2009 in all countries, but since 2010 fiscal policies have differed. While the fiscal effect was roughly neutral in Germany, the UK and the USA, it was large and negative in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Anti-Social Determinism

Philosophy ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 69 (267) ◽  
pp. 21-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antony Flew
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Main Assumption ◽  
Social Determinism ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Welfare State ◽  
Social Affairs

The general moral decline widely perceived to be in process in both the UK and the USA is no doubt the effect of many causes. The present paper attends to only one, the de-moralization more or less unintentionally encouraged by the working of the machinery of the welfare state, and then further encouraged by a deliberate and systematic de-moralization of that machinery. It attempts to undermine a main assumption supporting that de-moralization, and thus contribute to the campaign for re-moralization waged in recent years by, among others, the Social Affairs Unit (SAU) in London and like-minded think-tanks in the USA.

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