Welfare state citizens

Abstract

"The current discourse on re-commodification or the enforcement of labour market participation in the context of welfare state reforms points to profound changes in the relationship between the welfare state and its citizens. However, the discussion focuses too much on the presumed intentions of the reforms on the part of the welfare state, while welfare state citizens are conceived mainly as objects of social policy reform. In academic analyses of the so-called 'Hartz Reforms' in Germany, for example, welfare state citizens are mainly seen as the objects of control and education by a workfare-oriented welfare state with emerging authoritarian traits. This view points to an important change in the conception of social rights. However, social action on the part of welfare state citizens remains under-conceptualized in this perspective. Social policy is important, but it is only one of several contexts for individual action, and individual's choices and preferences can not be a direct outcome of government strategies. Such a non-deterministic conception of the impact of social policy calls for a theoretical reflection of the relationship between political regulation and individual action. In my paper, I discuss the analytical advantages and limitations of two theoretical concepts - Foucault's conception of governmentality and Beck's hypothesis that the diverse and sometimes contradictory requirements of institutions such as the market, the family and social policy require reflexive action on the part of the individual. While both authors differ in the conception of the impact of political regulation, they conceive individuals as actors in their own right, pursuing their own objectives and interests that might be in conflict with the objectives of the welfare state. In my conclusion, I discuss whether and how these theoretical concepts might be useful for the analysis of welfare state reforms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Henninger, A. (2006): Welfare state citizens. Objects of control or reflexive actors in the context of market, family and social policy? Paper for the EspaNet-Conference 27.07.2006 in Bremen. Nürnberg, 14 p.