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Social policy and the government of waste

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 06:31 authored by Kenneth VeitchKenneth Veitch
This article argues that key elements of contemporary social policy can be fruitfully analysed through the lens of waste. Drawing on work identifying the importance of waste and waste disposal in the history of modernity and early liberal theory, the article develops two concepts of waste – waste as inertia and waste as excess – and uses these to shed light on aspects of recent social policy in the areas of unemployment, health care, and higher education. In particular, it is argued that the theme of waste is able to capture the desire of recent governments to deploy social policy explicitly to economic ends – including economic growth and capital – and the consequences it sets in motion for citizens who fail to comply with stipulated obligations. It is also argued that the government of waste is a source of political legitimacy for the state.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Capital and Class

ISSN

0309-8168

Publisher

SAGE

Issue

2

Volume

42

Page range

297-313

Department affiliated with

  • Law Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2017-08-04

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2017-08-04

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2017-08-04

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