government responses to poverty - neoliberalism Flashcards
Time frame?
2010 - 2015
What type of government was neoliberalism?
What 2 governments made up the neoliberals?
- A coalition government.
- Conservatives
- Liberal Democrats
What was the central focus?
To reform the welfare state.
What ideas did neoliberals continue? Whose ideas was it originally?
They continued New Labour’s focus on the working poor.
What was the aim of reorganising the NHS?
The NHS was reorganised so that there was an increase in the role of private sector companies in the NHS.
What happened in regards to the numbers on social housing waiting lists?
Numbers rose as cuts were made by the government.
State the New Labour policies that were continued under neoliberalism.
- Moving people away from welfare into work.
- Recognition of the poverty trap.
- Simplifying the benefits system/new universal credit.
What was emphasised when the government wanted to move people away from welfare and into work?
HINT - Large focus on children.
An emphasis was placed on parenting skills, supporting nursery education and more flexible childcare to tackle cultural dimensions of child poverty.
Describe what the recognition of the poverty trap ensured.
Benefits that people lost would not be greater than what they earned as they entered employment.
Benefits would decrease as employment increased + benefits would increase again if employment decreased.
Describe what was to happen as the government simplifyed the benefits system.
A single income was to replace benefits for working age adults.
What was the aim of simplifying the benefits system?
To provide people with basic minimum income that would only get reduced as other income increased e.g through employment.
RE-EMERGENCE OF THE NR
How did they attempt to tackle to dependency culture? Who did these affect the most?
They introduced a range of policies introducing harsher approaches to benefits effectively hitting the poorest the hardest.
RE-EMERGENCE OF THE NR
Who in particular did the NR aim their harsh policies at in regards to welfare benefits?
There was a harsher approach to those recieving welfare benefits because they were incapable of work due to an illness/disability.
RE-EMERGENCE OF THE NR
What did the NR create a stricter definition for?
What ‘incapable of work’ meant.
RE-EMERGENCE OF THE NR
What did the NR introduce harsher tests for?
They introduced harsher medial tests to those claiming benefits due to illness or disability.
RE-EMERGENCE OF THE NR
Who were benefits cut for?
The disabled - particularly for families with disabled children.
RE-EMERGENCE OF THE NR
Who was affected by childcare payments being cut?
Low income families - espeically lone parents or families where only one parent was in employment.
RE-EMERGENCE OF THE NR
What did the NR place a stronger emphasis on in regards to poverty?
Cultural and individual aspects of poverty rather than material inequalities and wealth redistribution.
RE-EMERGENCE OF THE NR
Which benefits were capped under the NR? What was the effect of this?
Housing benefits.
- People living in high rent areas had less of their rent covered by benefits.
- Benefits were reduced for those deemed to have a spare bedroom (‘bedroom tax’).
RE-EMERGENCE OF THE NR
How were the poorest groups affected in regards to education?
The Education Maintenance Allowance was ended and university fees increased.
Give a strength of the neoliberals’ response to poverty.
There was a stronger emphasis placed on cultural and individual aspects of poverty rather than material inequalities and wealth distribution which therefore provided a new perspective.
Give a criticism of the neoliberals response to poverty in regards to the value of benefits.
Cuts in the value of benefits hit the poorest groups the hardest.
Give a criticism of the neoliberals’ response to poverty in regards to who could recieve benefits.
There were harsher approaches to those recieving welfare benefits e.g the definition of ‘incapable of work’ grew stricter/tighter.
Give a criticism of the neoliberals’ response to poverty in regards to the discipline surrounding benefits.
There was an intensifying process of disciplining those claiming benefits + a growing system of surveillance and removal of benefits for those who failed to conform strictly to the rules of the welfare state.
