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Big Society as big government: Cameron’s governmentality agenda

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 04:00 authored by Bal Sokhi-BulleyBal Sokhi-Bulley, Dan Bulley
Cameron’s flagship policy of the ‘Big Society’ rests on a society/government dichotomy, diagnosing a ‘broken society’ caused by ‘big government’ having assumed the role communities once played. The remedy is greater social responsibility and the ‘Big Society’. This article argues that the dichotomy is deceptive. We aim to show that the Big Society is big government, as it employs techniques for managing the conduct of individuals and communities such that the mentality of government, far from being removed or reduced, is bettered and made more efficient. To illustrate this, we explore two major initiatives: the National Citizen Service and the Community Resilience programme. These projects demonstrate how practices of informing and guiding the conduct of individuals both produce agents and normalise certain values, resulting in the population being better known and controlled. Thus, far from lessening government and empowering people, the Big Society extends governmen- tality throughout the social body.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

British Journal of Politics and International Relations

ISSN

1369-1481

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Issue

3

Volume

16

Page range

452-470

Department affiliated with

  • Law Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2016-11-14

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2016-11-13

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