Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T11:10:43.184Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Are New Right Policies Sustainable? ‘Back to Basics’ and Public Choice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2009

Bill Jordan
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The British government's social policy reforms of the late 1980s have been quickly followed by political embarrassment over a series of social issues (crime, single parenthood, benefit fraud, truancy, drugs). Its response, ‘back to basics’, is a rather clumsy attempt to provide a readymix morality as the cement of society and increased reliance on enforcement. This article uses one of the new right's most effective weapons – public choice theory – to analyse the outcomes of strategic interactions within these new institutional structures, showing that they are collectively sub-optimal. New policies, announced in 1993, merely worsen the situation by driving up costs. Furthermore, the rising prices of the ‘positional goods’ enjoyed by better-off households suggest that the majority coalition in favour of the new systems may not be sustainable.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 24 , Issue 3 , July 1995 , pp. 363 - 384
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Anderson, D., Lalt, J. and Marsland, D. (1981), Breaking the Spell of the Welfare State: Strategies for Reducing Public Expenditure, Social Affairs Unit, London.Google Scholar
Anderson, D. (ed.) (1980), The Ignorance of Social Intervention, Croom Helm, London.Google Scholar
Axelrod, R. (1984), The Evolution of Co-operation, Basic Books, New York.Google Scholar
Bagguley, P. (1991), From Protest to Aquiescence? Political Movements of the Unemployed, Macmillan, Basingstoke.Google Scholar
Barry, B. (1991), ‘The continuing relevance of socialism’, in his Liberty and Justice: Essays in Political Theory 2, Clarendon, Oxford, pp. 274–90.Google Scholar
Barry, B. (1993), ‘Justice, freedom and basic income’, London School of Economics, London.Google Scholar
Becker, G. S. (1968), ‘Crime and punishment: an economic approach’, Journal of Political Economy, 76: 2, 169–217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borrie, G. (1994), ‘Which way forward?’ (interview with Susan Raven), Citizens Income Bulletin, 17, 13–4.Google Scholar
Bottomley, V. (1993), Speaking on BBC Radio 4 World at One, 19 11.Google Scholar
Breuer, M. (1990), ‘Heroinkonsum: Ökonomische Erklärungsansätze und ihre Implikationen für eine Bekämpfung’, Diplomarkeit im Fach Volkswirtschaftstheorie, Universitat Köln.Google Scholar
Buchanan, J. (1968), The Demand and Supply of Public Goods, Rand McNally, Chicago.Google Scholar
Central Statistical Office (1993), Social Trends 23, Table 12.14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chairman of Harrogate NHS Trust (1993), speaking on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, 19 11.Google Scholar
Charlesworth, A. et al. (1984), Carers and Services, Equal Opportunities Commission, London.Google Scholar
Commission on Social Justice (1993), Social Justice in a Changing World, IPPR/Rivers Oram Press, London.Google Scholar
Corden, A. and Craig, P. (1991), Perceptions of Family Credit, Avebury, Aldershot.Google Scholar
Craig, P. (1991), ‘Costs and benefits: a review of research on take-up of income-related benefits’, Journal of Social Policy, 20: 4, 537–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dahrendorf, R. (1988), The New Social Conflict: An Essay in the Politics of Liberty, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London.Google Scholar
Dunleavy, P. (1991), Democracy, Bureaucracy and Public Choice: Economic Explanations in Political Science, Harvester Wheatsheaf, Hemel Hempstead.Google Scholar
Elster, J. (1979), Ulysses and the Sirens, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Friedman, M. (1963), Capitalism and Freedom, Chicago University Press, Chicago.Google Scholar
Gershuny, J. (1983), Social Innovation and the Division of Labour, Oxford University Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Goldman, F. (1981), ‘Drug abuse, crime and economics: the dismal limits of social choice’, in Inciardi, J. (ed.), The Drugs-Crime Connexion, Pantheon, Berverley Hills, pp. 155–81.Google Scholar
Goldstein, P. J. (1981), ‘Getting oven economic alternatives to predatory crime among street drug users’, in Inciardi, J. (ed.) The Drugs-Crime Connexion, Pantheon, Beverley Hills, pp. 67–84.Google Scholar
Gray, J. (1989), Limited Government: An Agenda for Change, Institute of Economic Affairs, London.Google Scholar
Green, D. (ed.) (1990), The NHS Reforms: Whatever happened to consumer choice?, IEA Health and Welfare Unit, London.Google Scholar
The Guardian (1993), ‘Hard bargains for young in jobs market’, 20 12.Google Scholar
Harris, R. (1980), The End of Government …?, Occasional Paper 58, Institute of Economic Affairs, London.Google Scholar
Harris, R. and Seldon, A. (1979), Over-ruled on Welfare, Hobart Paperback 13, Institute of Economic Affairs, London.Google Scholar
Harrod, R. (1958), ‘The possibility of economic satiety – use of economic growth for improving quality of education and leisure’, in Problems of U.S. Economic Development, Committee for Economic Development, Washington, pp. 207–13.Google Scholar
Harsanyi, J. (1977), Rational Behaviour and Bargaining Equilibrium in Games and Social Situations, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayek, F. (1973), Rules and Order, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London.Google Scholar
Hayek, F. (1976), The Mirage of Social Justice, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London.Google Scholar
Hayek, F. (1978), Full Employment at Any Price?, Occasional Paper 45, Institute of Economic Affairs, London.Google Scholar
Hegselmann, R. (1993), ‘Solidarität in einer egoistischen Welt Eine Simulation’, Conference Wirtschaftwissenschaft und Ethik, Kaiserslautem, 17–18 06.Google Scholar
Hirsch, F. (1975), Social Limits to Growth, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London.Google Scholar
Hobbes, T. (1966 [1651]), Leviathan, Oakeshott, M. (ed.), Blackwell, Oxford.Google Scholar
Hoggett, P. and Burns, D. (1992), ‘The revenge of the poor: the anti-poll tax campaign’, Critical Social Policy, 33, 95–101.Google Scholar
Howard, M. (1993), Speech to Conservative Party Conference, 20 10.Google Scholar
Howells, R. (1991), Why Not Work? A Radical Solution to Unemployment, Adam Smith Institute, London.Google Scholar
Jenkins, S. (1990), ‘A multivariate analysis of exit rates from supplementary benefit'income support for lone mothers’, Paper given at EMRU Labour Economics Study Group Workshop, Loughborough University, 19 07.Google Scholar
Jordan, B., James, S., Kay, H. and Redley, M. (1992), Trapped In Poverty? Labour-market decisions In low-income households, Routledge, London.Google Scholar
Jordan, B., Redley, M. and James, S. (1994), Putting the Family First: Identities, decisions, citizenship, University College London Press, London.Google Scholar
Jordan, B. and Redley, M. (1994), ‘Polarisation, Underclass and the welfare state’, Work, Employment and Society, forthcoming, June.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jordan, B. (1989), The Common Good: Citizenship, morality and self-interest, Blackwell, Oxford.Google Scholar
Konopásek, Z. (1993), Personal Communication with the author.Google Scholar
de Leonardis, O. (1993), ‘New patterns of collective action in “post-welfare” society: The Italian case’, in Drover, G. and Kerans, P., New Approaches to Welfare Theory, Edward Elgar, Aldershot, pp. 177–89.Google Scholar
Levy, D. (1992), The Economic Ideas of Ordinary People: From preferences to trade, Routledge, London.Google Scholar
Lilley, P. (1993), Speech to Conservative Party Conference, 20 10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Locke, J. (1967 [1698]), Two Treatises of Government, Laslett, P. (ed.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Lustiger-Thaler, H. and Shragge, E. (1993), ‘Social movements and social welfare: the political problem of needs’ in Drover, G. and Kerans, P. (eds.) New Approaches to Welfare Theory, Edward Elgar, Aldershot, pp. 161–76.Google Scholar
Lyons, B. (1992), ‘Game theory’, in Heap, S. Hargreaves, Hollis, M., Lyons, B., Sugden, R. and Weale, A., The Theory of Choice: A critical guide, Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 93–129.Google Scholar
MacLean, D. (1993) Speech to National Children's Home Conference, 25 11.Google Scholar
McLaughlin, E., Millar, J. and Cooke, K. (1989), Work and Welfare Benefits, Avebury, Aldershot.Google Scholar
Meade, J. E. (1993), Liberty, Equality and Efficiency: Apologia pro Agathotopla Mia, Macmillan, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minford, P. (1984), ‘State expenditure: a study in waste’, Supplement to Economic Affairs, 4: 3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mueller, D. C. (1989), Public Choice II, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Niskanen, W. (1973), ‘Bureaucracy: Servant or Master? Lessons from America, Hobart Paper 5, Institute of Economic Affairs, London.Google Scholar
Novak, M. (1990), Morality, Capitalism and Democracy, IEA Health and Welfare Unit, London.Google Scholar
Olson, M. (1972), The Logic of Collective Action: Public goods and the theory of groups, Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA.Google Scholar
Parker, H. (1982), The Moral Hazard of Social Insurance, Institute of Economic Affairs, London.Google Scholar
Parker, H. (1989), Instead of the Dole: An enquiry In tax-benefit Integration, Routledge, London.Google Scholar
Parker, H. (1992) Editorial, BIRG Bulletin, 14.Google Scholar
Parker, H. and Sutherland, H. (1991), Child Tax Allowances? A comparison of child benefit, child tax reliefs and baste Incomes as Instruments of social policy, Stickerd Occasional Paper 16, London.Google Scholar
Paton, C. (1992) Competition and Planning in the National Health Service: The danger of unplanned markets, Chapman and Hall, London.Google Scholar
Paton, C. (1993), ‘Devolution and centralisation in the National Health Service’, Social Policy and Administration, 27: 2, 83–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peacock, A. (1979), The Economic Analysis of Government, Martin Robertson, Oxford.Google Scholar
Rawls, J. (1972), A Theory of Justice, Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA.Google Scholar
Roche, M. (1992), Rethinking Citizenship, Polity, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Rousseau, J. J. (1947 [1762]), The Social Contract, Raphael, D. D. (ed.), Dent, London.Google Scholar
Rowley, C. and Elgin, R. (1985), ‘Towards a theory of bureaucratic behaviour’, in Greenaway, D. (ed.), Public Choice, Public Finance and Public Policy: Essays in Honour of Alan Peacock, Blackwell, Oxford.Google Scholar
Ryan, A. (1982), ‘Mill and Rousseau: utility and rights’ in Duncan, G. (ed.), Democratic Theory and Practice, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Schelling, T. C. (1978), ‘Economics, or the art of self-management’, American Economic Review, 68: 2, 290–1.Google Scholar
Social Trends, 1994, HMSO, London.Google Scholar
Solow, R. (1990), The Labour Market as a Social Institution, Blackwell, Oxford.Google Scholar
Stone, N. (1992), ‘Probation in the 1990s: No escaping nemesis?’, in Williams, B. and Senior, P., Probation practice after the Criminal Justice Act, 1991, PAVIC Publications, Sheffield, 3–20.Google Scholar
de Swaan, A. and Mokken, R. (1980), ‘Testing coalition theories: the combined evidence’, in Lewin, L. and Vedung, E. (eds.), Politics as Rational Action: Essays in public choice and policy analysis, Reidel, Dordrecht, pp. 199–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, M. (1980), ‘On “normative” rational choice theories of politics’, in Lewin, L. and Vedung, E. (eds.), Politics as Rational Action: Essays in public choice and policy analysis, Reidel, Dordrecht, pp. 25–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Titmuss, R. (1968), Commitment to Welfare, Allen and Unwin, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Townsend, P. (1979), Poverty in the United Kingdom: A survey of household resources and living standards, Penguin, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Parijs, P. (ed.) (1992), Arguing for Basic Income: Ethical foundations of a radical reform, Verso, London.Google Scholar
Walker, R. (1991), Thinking about Workfare, SPRU/HMSO, London.Google Scholar
Williamson, O. E. (1985), The Economic Institutions of Capitalism: Firms, markets and rational contracting, Deutsch, New York.Google Scholar
Wilson, T. (1985), ‘The unwithered welfare state’, in Greenaway, D. (ed.), Public Choice, Public Finance and Public Policy: Essays in honour of Alan Peacock, Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 78–93.Google Scholar
Wilson, W. J. (1987), The Truly Disadvantaged: The inner city, the underclass and public policy, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.Google Scholar