New Right Flashcards
What is the New Right?
A conservative, political viewpoint that believe Functionalism is failing.
- Society is meritocratic.
- Traditional values should be maintained.
- Individuals should take responsibility (dependency culture0.
- Law and order are essential.
- Free market capitalism (businesses not regulated by gov).
Evaluation of the New Right:
- A free market could lead to competition, which results in better service meaning that people’s overall living standards/wellbeing would improve.
- Reducing benefits could encourage more poverty and crime.
What do Dennis and Erdos theorise? (FAMILY)
Fatherless Families increase the underclass: need male role models, wouldn’t commit crime.
Nuclear families would result in less crime.
What does Charles Murray theorise? (FAMILY)
The overgenerous welfare state creates a dependency culture where people rely too much on the Government to live. Need to create individual responsibility where people are responsible for themselves.
Evaluation of New Right and the Family:
- Critical of single parents, blended families, etc = different family types.
- Many others can take on the ‘father figure’ role such as teachers, uncles, etc.
- Blames the working-classes for poverty rather than acknowledging structural causes and capitalism.
What is the ERA, 1988?
Education Reform Act: applied market forces to education by promoting competition, parentocracy, increased standards, etc.
What did Chubb and Moe theorise?
The privatisation of education would improve standards. A study where 1000 children in the USA were tested in a public school vs a private school, private school children did 5% better.
Evaluation of Chubb and Moe/marketisation:
- Gewirtz argues that competition only benefits the middle-class who use cultural/economic capital to gain access to better schools.
- The real cause of low educational standards is social inequality and a lack of funding to state schools.
- Money will be spent on marketing rather than equipment.
