Individualism And Community: Education And Social Policy In The Postmodern Condition (New Prospects Series, 4)

Examining, in the widest sense, the changes in political philosophy that have occurred in Western capitalist states since the early 1980s, this book focuses on the introduction of neo-liberal principles in the combined area of social and education policy. New Zealand presents a paradigm example of the neo-liberal shift in political philosophy. From constituting the "social laboratory" of the Western world in the 1930s in terms of social welfare provision, New Zealand has become the neo-liberal "experiment" of the fully "marketised" society in the 1990s. Against the theoretical background of educational theory and practice, this book examines neo-liberalism and its critiques as responses to the so-called crisis of the welfare state and argues for a reformulated critical social policy in the postmodern condition. The conclusions about social policy drawn by the authors can be generalized to similar situations in other Western capitalist countries. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Preface and Acknowledgments......Page 8 List of Figures......Page 10 Introduction: The Crisis of the Welfare State in the Postmodern Condition......Page 12 Social Policy and the Move to Community......Page 32 Democracy and Community-based Social Policy......Page 45 Welfare and the Future of Community: The New Zealand Experiment......Page 62 The New Right Reforms of Education......Page 76 The Politics of Choice: Public Choice Theory and the Autonomous Chooser......Page 88 Children of Rogernomics: The New Right, Individualism and the Culture of Narcissism......Page 109 From Education to Evaluation: The Ideal Learning Community......Page 126 Educational Policy Analysis and the Politics of Interpretation......Page 148 Postmodernism: The Critique of Reason and the Rise of the New Social Movements......Page 168 Beyond the Philosophy of the Subject: Liberalism, Education and the Critique of Individualism......Page 184 Individualism and Community: Education and the Politics of Difference......Page 202 Conclusion: Critical Social Policy in the Postmodern Condition......Page 218 Bibliography......Page 226 Index......Page 246 Introduction: The Crisis Of The Welfare State In The Postmodern Condition -- Sect. I. Communitarian Approaches To The Crisis. 1. Social Policy And The Move To Community. 2. Democracy And Community-based Social Policy. 3. Welfare And The Future Of Community: The New Zealand Experiment -- Sect. Ii. Neo-liberal Individualism. 4. The New Right Reforms Of Education. 5. The Politics Of Choice: Public Choice Theory And The Autonomous Chooser. 6. Children Of Rogernomics: The New Right, Individualism And The Culture Of Narcissism -- Sect. Iii. Methodological Responses To The Crisis. 7. From Education To Evaluation: The Ideal Learning Community. 8. Educational Policy Analysis And The Politics Of Interpretation Sect. Iv. The Postmodern 'way Out'. 9. Postmodernism: The Critique Of Reason And The Rise Of The New Social Movements. 10. Beyond The Philosophy Of The Subject: Liberalism, Education And The Critique Of Individualism. 11. Individualism And Community: Education And The Politics Of Difference -- Conclusion: Critical Social Policy In The Postmodern Condition. Michael Peters And James Marshall. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 215-233) And Index.