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The allure of the “Big Society”: conveying authority in an era of uncertainty
Citation
Jacobs, K, The allure of the 'Big Society': conveying authority in an era of uncertainty, Housing, Theory and Society pp. 1-15. ISSN 1403-6096 (2014) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2014 IBF, The Institute for Housing and Urban Research
DOI: doi:10.1080/14036096.2014.947171
Abstract
The inception and roll out of the UK Government’s Big Society agenda offers
an opportunity to consider the changing modalities of contemporary political engagement.
Much of the critical scholarship on the Big Society views it as a rationale to legitimize both a
reconfiguration of the welfare state and an austerity programme to reduce government debt.
While these interpretations are helpful, they explain only partially the appeal of these agendas
for politicians and their political parties. The key question explored in this article is why,
despite the hostility and cynicism towards ideological projects such as Big Society, do politicians
continue to identify and pursue them? I argue that the Big Society agenda is only in
part a rationale for austerity and welfare reform; it also provides a discursive setting for politicians
to address societal anxieties by offering a navigable route for the future. Although the
Big Society agenda has been roundly derided, its Manichean morality tale offers assurance
at a time when politics is being reshaped by neoliberal ideology, changing media practices
and globalization processes.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | Welfare reform, Big society, Psychosocial |
Research Division: | Human Society |
Research Group: | Sociology |
Research Field: | Urban sociology and community studies |
Objective Division: | Law, Politics and Community Services |
Objective Group: | Government and politics |
Objective Field: | Government and politics not elsewhere classified |
UTAS Author: | Jacobs, K (Professor Keith Jacobs) |
ID Code: | 94163 |
Year Published: | 2014 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 3 |
Deposited By: | School of Social Sciences |
Deposited On: | 2014-09-02 |
Last Modified: | 2015-05-04 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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