individualism vs collectivism Flashcards
what does a collectivist believe?
that Government should provide and meet the needs of those who need help - the sick, poor, unemployed and elderly.
Examples of collectivists
The SNP, Corbyn’s Labour party, and the NHS and Welfare State.
What does an individualist believe?
The Government should not intervene in helping people. It is up to individuals to help themselves. Individuals should have choices.
example of individualist
The Conservative government
Collectivists believe that governments should help people live healthy lives
The smoking ban introduced by the Scottish Parliament led many people to give it up and the number of heart attacks caused by smoking dropped to 17%.
The Scottish government introduced MUP to help address problems people have with alcohol.
The Scottish Government introduced free prescriptions.
What do individualists believe about health?
People should have a choice (e.g. they can pay for private healthcare and be treated in private hospitals).
Individualists vs collectivists on health
Health inequalities are too big to leave to individuals - e.g. in Glasgow male life expectancy is 70, in Bearsden it is 80.
Private healthcare threatens the NHS because it takes doctors’ time away from NHS work which benefits everyone.
Collectivists and education
Collectivists argue that the government should work to remove inequalities in education. The Scottish Government introduced EMA to help students from poorer backgrounds achieve better academic qualifications. Free university tuition should encourage students from poorer backgrounds to go to University.
Most students in Scotland go to comprehensive schools.
Individualists and education
People should have the choice of whether to pay for private education. 25,000 pupils (5%) in Scotland attend private schools such as Fettes College in Edinburgh. They argue that parents should also be able to choose which state school to send their child to.
Collectivists vs individualists on education
Private education supports an unfair system. In 2016 the Sutton Foundation said that those attending private schools take top jobs in the law, politics and medicine. Two-thirds of judges are from private schools.
Collectivists on unemployment and low pay
Collectivists believe that the welfare state should support disadvantaged and unemployed people. For example, people on low pay can claim Universal Credit. Disabled people can claim benefits (Personal Independence Allowance).
Individualists on unemployment and low pay
The Conservative Government argue that the system gets abused and by cutting benefits, individuals will be more likely to work. The Tory- Lib Dem Coalition’s ‘welfare revolution’ , introduced a test to decide if disabled are fit for some kind of work. This led to people having benefits withdrawn.
Collectivists vs individualists on benefits
Cutting benefits has increased the number of people living in poverty and has led to them being seen as ‘scroungers’.
