A problem shared? The role of the public in the legitimation of policy: a case study of gendered welfare change in the United Kingdom

Richards-Gray, Laura (2021) A problem shared? The role of the public in the legitimation of policy: a case study of gendered welfare change in the United Kingdom. Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society , ISSN 1072-4745.

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxab003

Abstract

This article argues that shared problematizations—shared political and public ways of thinking—legitimize policies and their outcomes. To support this argument, it examines the legitimation of gendered welfare reform in the recent U.K. context. Drawing on focus groups with the public, it provides evidence that the public’s problematization of welfare, specifically that reform was necessary to “make work pay” and “restore fairness”, aligned with that of politicians. It argues that the assumptions and silences underpinning this shared problematization, especially silences relating to the value and necessity of care, have allowed for welfare policies that have disadvantaged women.

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Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication following peer review. The version of record is available online at the link above.
School:	School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy > Politics
Depositing User:	Laura Richards-Gray
Date Deposited:	07 Jun 2021 12:10
Last Modified:	16 Jun 2021 09:54
URI:	https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/44392

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