Thatcher’s ‘Right to Buy’ reform at 40: a policy feedback analysis of UK social housing policies

Author(s):  
Sanya Naqvi ◽  
Daniel Béland ◽  
Alex Waddan

Focusing on policy feedback, this article examines the influence, four decades after its enactment, of Margaret Thatcher’s 1980 ‘Right to Buy’ (RtB) policy on today’s social housing institutions in the UK. We argue that through interest-group feedback mechanisms, RtB helped expand and reinforce the UK landlord class. Furthermore, we assert that the policy pressures placed on local councils to embody housing within the welfare state contributed to a path-dependent, privatisation feedback mechanism. More generally, an analysis of the UK case is important as it could help us think about housing privatisation in terms of policy feedback and long-term historical legacies.

2021 ◽  
pp. 89-123
Author(s):  
Paul Watt

This chapter summarises the London research boroughs and estates. The research focusses on fourteen council-built housing estates in seven boroughs: Barnet, Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth, Newham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets. Six of these boroughs (except suburban Barnet) have been among the most deprived local authority areas in England for decades, and include high levels of poverty and large Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic populations, although they have also gentrified since the 1980s. The fourteen estates are analysed in terms of their local authority origins, landlords and housing tenure, and also the rationale, progress and effects of their respective regeneration schemes. Reference is made to entrepreneurial borough strategies where relevant. In addition to the seven main boroughs, less extensive research was undertaken at five council estates in four supplementary boroughs: Brent, Camden, Waltham Forest and Westminster. The chapter provides a socio-demographic summary of the estate resident interviewees divided into four housing tenures: social tenants, Right-to-Buy owner-occupiers, temporary non-secure tenants, and owner-occupiers who bought their homes on the open market. The interviewees broadly reflect the dominant multi-ethnic working-class population of London’s social housing estates, albeit weighted towards elderly and long-term residents.


2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
UWE WAGSCHAL ◽  
GEORG WENZELBURGER

ABSTRACTDuring the 1990s, some OECD countries succeeded in reducing their budget deficits. The average public debt ratio fell from more than 70 per cent of GDP in 1996 to about 63 per cent of GDP in 2001. Up to now, researchers have mainly focused on the economic effects of these consolidation efforts. This paper answers another question: How can balanced budgets be achieved? By means of a detailed review of nine budget consolidations, the study identifies different roads to successful fiscal adjustments, starting with a critical review of the definition of budget consolidation. We find a pattern on the expenditure side that follows different worlds of the welfare state. On the revenue side however, the tax structure seems to be more path-dependent and mainly driven by long-term developments. In the last section, we show that institutional reforms constitute very important components of budget consolidations.


Author(s):  
Barbara Schönig

Going along with the end of the “golden age” of the welfare state, the fordist paradigm of social housing has been considerably transformed. From the 1980s onwards, a new paradigm of social housing has been shaped in Germany in terms of provision, institutional organization and design. This transformation can be interpreted as a result of the interplay between the transformation of national welfare state and housing policies, the implementation of entrepreneurial urban policies and a shift in architectural and urban development models. Using an integrated approach to understand form and function of social housing, the paper characterizes the new paradigm established and nevertheless interprets it within the continuity of the specific German welfare resp. housing regime, the “German social housing market economy”.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Budzynski-Seymour ◽  
James Steele ◽  
Michelle Jones

Physical activity (PA) is considered essential to overall health yet it is consistently reported that children are failing to meet the recommended levels. Due to the bidirectional relationship between affective states and PA, affective responses are a potential predictor to long term engagement. Since late March 2020 the UK government enforced ‘lockdown’ measures to help control the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19); however, this has impacted children’s PA. Using online resources at home to support PA is now common. The primary aim of this research was to investigate the use of the Change4Life 10-minute Shake Ups to support PA by examining the effects of Disney branding upon children’s (n=32) post activity affective responses and perceived exertion. The secondary was to investigate the effect of the lockdown on PA habits. Children had similar positive affective responses and perceived effort to activities; however, branding was considered to be a key contributing factor based upon qualitative feedback from parents. Children’s PA levels dropped slightly since ‘lockdown’ was imposed; though online resources have been utilised to support PA. The use of immersive elements such as characters and narrative in PA sessions, as well as utilising online resources during ‘lockdown’ appear potentially promising for future research.


Author(s):  
Paul Brooker ◽  
Margaret Hayward

The Armani high-fashion example illustrates the importance of adaptive rational methods in his founding and developing of an iconic high-fashion firm. Armani adapted stylistically to fashion’s new times in the 1970–80s by creating a new style catering for the career woman. His stylistic adaptation is compared with that of another famous Italian fashion designer, Versace, who instead modernized haute couture fashion and created a succession of glamourous styles. Both leaders exploited the same opportunity but in different ways. The third section compares these leaders’ legacies in the 1990s–2000s and assesses from a long-term perspective how capably they had used adaptive rational methods. The final section shifts the focus from fashion to the cosmetics industry and from Italy to the UK. Anita Roddick used adaptive rational methods to establish The Body Shop corporation in the 1970s–80s. However, she then abandoned rational methods with dire results for her corporation in the 1990s.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hutchinson ◽  
Paul Ellison ◽  
Andrew Levy ◽  
David Marchant

Objective Concussion is a common injury in ice hockey, and previous research suggests some misconceptions and unsafe attitudes amongst players. The purpose of this study was to assess sport concussion knowledge, attitudes and the effect of sport concussion history in UK-based male ice hockey players across three levels of competition: professional, semi-professional and amateur. Methods Sixty-one participants across a number of UK ice hockey teams completed the Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey and reviewed a series of statements to assess knowledge (concussion knowledge index), attitudes (concussion attitude index) and misconceptions of concussion. Results Level of competition and concussion history had no significant effect on concussion knowledge index or concussion attitude index. A positive significant relationship exists between playing experience and concussion knowledge index and concussion attitude index. Statements identified common misconceptions and areas of accurate knowledge regarding concussion symptoms suggesting that male ice hockey players have a higher level knowledge compared to a sample of the UK general public. Playing experience was associated with increased knowledge and increasingly safe attitudes towards concussion. Conclusion Despite knowledge relating to loss of consciousness and correct management of symptoms being generally accurate, there are worryingly unsafe attitudes regarding aspects of concussion. Such attitudes may well pose significant threats to players’ safety and long-term health.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 788-791
Author(s):  
Bethany Rose

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is any process that injures or removes part or all of the external female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM is a growing public health concern in the UK because of an increase in migration from countries where it is widely practised. Education on FGM for nurses is key to supporting women who have undergone the practice, as well as safeguarding girls and women who are at risk. Nurses must understand the history and culture of FGM as well as the long-term health complications to be able to support affected women both professionally and sensitively.


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