Social Policy, Political Economy and the Social Contract

The use of social contract theory connects questions about individual and social outcomes in society with debates about the role and purpose of social policy within the political economy. For example, how much inequality is (and/or should be) tolerated in society and where, and to what extent, is it legitimate for the state to intervene to address these? Through employing complexity theory, the trajectory of the political economy is explored in relation to the ‘possibility space’ in which social policies are developed. By focusing on individual, intergenerational and societal outcomes related to health, place and social mobility in England, empirical evidence is used to assert that the social contract produces longstanding, highly patterned and inequitable consequences. It is argued that the persistence of health inequalities and spatial disparities in social and economic opportunities and outcomes should pose a greater threat to the legitimacy of the social contract than is currently the case. That they do not is revealing of the appeal of competitive and possessive individualism and the power of the status quo. Tying the economy to society and questioning the legitimacy of the former can create the basis for a positive politics of redistribution. This, in turn, will help to recalibrate complex systems to make them more attuned to social policies designed to produce equitable social outcomes. Front Cover Social Policy, Political Economy and the Social Contract Copyright information Dedication Table of contents 1 Introduction The social contract Social policy Structure of the book 2 The political economy Introduction The ‘golden age’ of the post-war welfare state Neoliberal influence Contradictions and inconsistencies in neoliberalism The ongoing appeal of neoliberalism UK governments in the neoliberal era Thatcherism New Labour The coalition government and austerity New Public Management and governance Post-democracy Conclusion 3 Globalisation and devolution Introduction Global economy Global social policy Devolution England and the EU Conclusion 4 Place: uneven geographies and spatial inequalities Introduction London, the cause of and solution to all our problems Regional disparities Land and housing Land Housing Conclusion 5 Health and health inequalities Introduction Health and health inequalities Relationship with the political economy Health and health-related policy Health, health inequalities and the social contract 6 Social mobility Introduction Social mobility and the social contract Social mobility and social policy Social mobility and the political economy Conclusion 7 The intergenerational contract Introduction The intergenerational contract: young and relatively young The intergenerational contract: ageing Routes and conditions for change Conclusion 8 Conclusion Social attitudes and crisis A more equitable social contract? Bibliography Index Back Cover

In this challenging and original study, Jonathan Wistow positions social policy within political economy and social contract debates. Focusing on individual, intergenerational and societal outcomes related to health, place and social mobility in England, he draws on empirical evidence to show how the social contract produces long-standing, highly patterned and inequitable consequences in these areas. Globalisation and the political economy simultaneously contribute to the extent and nature of social problems and to social policy's capacity to address them effectively. Applying social contract theory, this book shows that society needs to take ownership of the outcomes it produces and critically interrogates the individualism inherent within the political economy.

Positioning social policy within political economy and social contract debates, Wistow draws on empirical evidence to show how the social contract produces longstanding inequitable consequences in relation to health, place and social mobility in England. Jonathan Wistow. Electronic Reproduction. Baltimore, Md Available Via World Wide Web.