Conceptualising the active welfare subject: welfare reform in discourse, policy and lived experience

The idea of the active welfare subject has become irresistible to both policy makers and academics and has taken a lead role in the transformation of twenty-first century social security systems. Two distinguishable approaches have emerged - the dominant model and a counter model. The dominant model...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPolicy and politics Vol. 44; no. 2; pp. 235 - 252
Main Author Wright, Sharo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Policy Press 01.04.2016
The Policy Press
Subjects
21st century
Academic staff
Active
Agency
Behavior change
Empowerment
Individual responsibility
Lived Experience
Policy making
Qualitative research
Responsibility
Security systems
Social security
Social systems
Transformation
Welfare Reform
active
agency
welfare reform
lived experience
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Summary:The idea of the active welfare subject has become irresistible to both policy makers and academics and has taken a lead role in the transformation of twenty-first century social security systems. Two distinguishable approaches have emerged - the dominant model and a counter model. The dominant model emphasises moralised individual responsibility for 'wrong choices' and mandates behavioural change to become active. The counter model situates benefit recipients in the present as disempowered creative, reflexive and resourceful beings. This article develops conceptualisations by comparing benefit recipients' accounts (from an exploratory qualitative study) of lived experience with both models.
Bibliography:0305-5736(20160425)44:2L.235;1-
(JN) Politics - Europe
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:0305-5736
1470-8442
DOI:10.1332/030557314X13904856745154