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Poverty and Social Justice in the Devolved Scotland: Neoliberalism Meets Social Democracy?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2009

Gill Scott  and
Gerry Mooney
Gill Scott
Affiliation:
School of Law and Social Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University E-mail: J.M.Scott@gcal.ac.uk
Gerry Mooney
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, The Open University in Scotland E-mail: G.C.Mooney@open.ac.uk
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Abstract

Drawing on current debates in social policy, this paper considers the extent to which social justice has and is informing social policy making in devolved Scotland. Relating to the work of social justice theorists Young, Fraser and Lister in particular, it critically examines some key Scottish social policy measures since 1999, considering some of the ways in which these have been constructed in terms of social justice and which make claims to the Scottish national. Through a focus on the issue of anti-poverty policies, the paper explores the ways in which the dominant policy approaches of the Scottish Government have reflected an uneven and tension-loaded balance between the enduring legacies of Scottish social democracy and the influences of neoliberal economics.

Information

Type
Themed Section on Social Policy in the Devolved Scotland: Towards a Scottish Welfare State?
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 8 , Issue 3 , July 2009 , pp. 379 - 389
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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