Policy Change, Public Attitudes and Social Citizenship: Does Neoliberalism Matter?

Description

Neoliberal reforms have seen a radical shift in government thinking about social citizenship rights around the world. But have they had a similarly significant impact on public support for these rights? This unique book traces public views on social citizenship across three decades through attitudinal data from New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia. It argues that support for some aspects of social citizenship diminished more significantly under some political regimes than others, and that limited public resistance following the financial crisis of 2008-2009 further suggests the public 'rolled over' and accepted these neoliberal values. Yet attitudinal variances across different policy areas challenge the idea of an omnipotent neoliberalism, providing food for thought for academics, students and advocates wishing to galvanise support for social citizenship in the 21st century.

L. Humpage is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She has published widely in the areas of public attitudes towards social citizenship, indigenous affairs policy, welfare reform and refugee policy and settlement.

"Provides an important contribution to knowledge and debate in social policy as well as a helpful review of the labyrinthine literature on social attitudes" Professor Hartley Dean, London School of Economics. "An extremely useful longitudinal analysis of public attitudes to social policy since the 1980s, placing New Zealand in a wider context of other liberal market economies: theoretically and empirically rich, and well worth attention" Jack Vowles, Victoria University of Wellington. "This ambitious and richly detailed book asks a crucial question: has neoliberal policy changed the public's mind about neoliberalism? Humpage's carefully argued answer-essentially, 'yes, but'-is both sobering and comforting." Professor Gabrielle Meagher, University of Sydney.