Social Solidarity and the Power of Contract - JLS Final Version.pdf (293.15 kB)
Social solidarity and the power of contract
This article explores what social policy contracts reveal about contemporary forms of social solidarity, and what they tell us about the nature of social cohesion in Western societies today. Taking the workfare contract as its point of departure, and drawing on Emile Durkheim's work, it is argued that social policy contracts disclose elements of mechanical and organic social solidarity. They function in both punitive and restitutive ways, their exclusionary and inclusive features acting as important sources of contemporary social solidarity. By reference to empirical evidence regarding workfare in various countries, the article highlights the importance of structural factors in determining the success of this policy. It is argued that the moralistic nature of the workfare contract, and the forms of social solidarity it expresses, obscures these deeper structural issues, leaving in place the conditions necessary for the persistence of social suffering characteristic of the post-Keynesian era. The contention is that contract has a de-politicizing effect in the field of social policy.
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Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Journal of Law and SocietyISSN
0263-323XPublisher
WileyExternal DOI
Issue
2Volume
38Page range
189-214Department affiliated with
- Law Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-02-06First Open Access (FOA) Date
2017-05-12First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2017-05-12Usage metrics
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