Corporate Power and Social Policy in a Global Economy : British Welfare Under the Influence

Spanning the complete era of the Conservative governments and the first term of New Labour, this book looks at mechanisms of corporate power and influence; corporate opinion and influence in a range of social policy areas including: education, training, health and social security; changing business influence on social policy in recent years in an international context and business involvement in social policy initiatives and welfare delivery. By exploring business views and opinions, power, influence and involvement in social provision, this book helps to address important questions in social policy and, in so doing, goes some way towards closing a gaping hole in the current literature. The book's breadth and multidisciplinary approach will appeal not only to students of social policy, but also to students of business, public sector management and politics, their teachers and policy makers in the field. CORPORATE POWER AND SOCIAL POLICY IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY 2 Contents 4 List of tables and figures 6 Acknowledgements 7 List of abbreviations 8 1. Introduction: globalisation, corporate power and social policies 10 Business influence on social policy 10 Defining the variables and scope of this book 11 Theoretical framework 13 Investigating business power and influence on social policy 15 Structural power and social policy 16 Corporate agency and social policy: business opinion, business action and business influence 17 2. Business and social policy 20 Influence through action 20 Influence through structure 22 The variability of corporate power 25 Integrating agency and structure and arriving at a useful model of business influence 30 Models of welfare state development 32 Business and social policy 36 Conclusion 41 3. Globalisation, corporate structural power and social policy 42 Economic globalisation and the welfare state 43 Assessing the impact of globalisation on corporate structural power 46 Globalisation, changing corporate structural power and its implications for British social policy 61 4. Globalisation, Europeanisation, corporate agency power and social policy 68 Globalisation, Europeanisation and corporate agency power 68 Key international and European business organisations 72 Globalisation, business agency and social policies 73 Conclusion: globalisation, corporate agency power and social policy 89 5. The national level: business and social policy in the UK 96 Introduction 96 Corporate power and national politics from 1979 96 Central government, business and social policy since 1979 98 Conclusion: business and British social policy 127 6. Business and local welfare services 130 Introduction 130 Local government, business and social policy 130 The city of Bristol 133 Business and local social provision to 1997 136 Review of the service boards 141 Conclusion: business and local social policy 154 7. The social policies of corporations: occupational welfare and corporate social responsibility 158 Introduction 158 Occupational welfare 158 Corporate social responsibility (CSR) 172 Conclusion 180 8. Conclusion: corporate power and social policy in global context 184 The implications for contemporary and future social policy 193 References 198 Index 220 Introduction : Globalisation, Corporate Power And Social Policies -- Business And Social Policy -- Globalisation, Corporate Structural Power And Social Policy -- Globalisation, Europeanisation, Corporate Agency Power And Social Policy -- The National Level : Business And Social Policy In The Uk -- Business And Local Welfare Services -- The Social Policies Of Corporations : Occupational Welfare And Corporate Social Responsibility -- Conclusion : Corporate Power And Social Policy In Global Context. Kevin Farnsworth. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 189-210) And Index. This groundbreaking book investigates and documents corporate influence on social policies at global/regional, national and local levels. It argues that we cannot understand the recent history and present direction of the welfare state unless we focus on the role that business has played in its development.