Neoliberalism, New Labour and the Welfare State

Beech, Matt

Abstract

This chapter argues that the New Labour governments (1997–2010) were not a political project wholly based on neoliberal assumptions, as the “majority view” in the scholarship asserts. In the area of welfare policy New Labour adopted a modified social democratic approach that can be seen clearly through a variety of data points. The “minority view” posited in this chapter suggests that the governments of Blair and Brown can be seen as a hybrid of neoliberal and social democratic ideas and policies. This is a more accurate explanation of the ideational influence of neoliberalism on the Labour Party in office.

Citation

Beech, M. (2017). Neoliberalism, New Labour and the Welfare State. In R. E. Backhouse, B. W. Bateman, T. Nishizawa, & D. Plehwe (Eds.), Liberalism and the Welfare State: Economists & arguments for the Welfare State (118-130). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780190676681.003.0007

• Publication Date: 2017
• Deposit Date: Jun 13, 2019
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Pages: 118-130
• Book Title: Liberalism and the Welfare State: Economists & arguments for the Welfare State
• Chapter Number: 6
• ISBN: 9780190676681
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780190676681.003.0007
• Keywords: New Labour; Neoliberalism; Welfare state; Social democracy; Tony Blair
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/1060659
• Publisher URL: https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190676681.001.0001/acprof-9780190676681-chapter-7