Philosophical traditions: Ideologies, explanations and responses

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Philosophical traditions Ideologies,
explanations and responses

• SWP12SP SWP12PPI
• Lecture 4, 2007

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Outline of lecture

• Importance of ideas and ideologies in
  understanding and responding to poverty
• Different causes of poverty and inequality
• Different responses
• Key ideologies and philosophical traditions
  values and beliefs and relationship to
  understanding and responding to poverty
• (McClelland 2006)

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Ideologies/Philosophies

• Shape our understanding of the world and our
  views about what to do critical influence on
  policy responses not always overt
• Ideologies integrated views and ideas about how
  society operates and what should happen world
  view
• Includes beliefs and values - both explanatory
  and normative have theories and ideologies
• Also important of discourse how we discuss
  something at a particular point of time
  (McClelland 2006)

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Different understandings of the causes of poverty

• Pathological causes
• Underclass theorists poverty caused by
  individual behaviour indolence, wastefulness
• Genetic explanations
• cycle of deprivation inadequate parenting,
  lowered aspirations and disadvantaged
  environmentsinternalized as part of the values
  of their children as they grow up
• (Alcock 199737-38)

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Structural causes of poverty

• Poverty as the
• result of the complex operation of social
  forces (Alcock 199136)
• Problems with basic structure
• Social security systems support but also
  control
• Problems with organisation of systems and free
  market
• Problems with operation of systems and services
• Economic forces that governments cannot influence
  globalized economies

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Differences in understanding about human behaviour

• Original sin need incentives and compulsion to
  behave well
• rational man behaviour will change with
  right incentives
• Altruism people are altruistic and concerned
  about others
• Opportunities people will respond positively to
  positive opportunities

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• Social peoples behaviour affected by their
  relationships with others including structured
  social relationships Good organisation will
  encourage altruism and fellowship (McClelland
  2006)

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Altruism and Reciprocity

• Concerned about what happens to others and not
  just about maximising own position inherent
  feature of people
• Importance of social relations and altruism raise
  issues of interdependence and reciprocity
• Reciprocity is sense of shared need and
  obligation
• Related to family relationships but also to ideas
  of social capital and social cohesion (McClelland
  2006)

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Some key differences in response and values

• Individual responsibility for oneself vs
  community responsibility to those in need
• Tension between promoting equality and individual
  freedom (negative freedom from coercion)
• Tension between negative and positive freedom
  (freedom to be but requires freedom from want,
  harm)
• Tension between freedom and respect for authority
  and community (McClleland 2006)

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Different traditions and ideologies

• Libertarian now neo-liberal or economic
  rationalism or new right
• Social liberal now often called liberal
• Egalitarian now often called social democratic
  also related to socialist
• Marxism or revolutionary socialism
• Conservative social conservative today also
  new paternalism
• Communitarian some say Marxist although is
  different
• Different writers have different breakdowns

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Libertarian and neo-liberal Philosophy

• High value on individual freedom and individual
  responsibility
• High value on economic incentives and free market
• Governments role is to protect citizens
• Believe in small government-less is more
• Governments have been unsuccessful in addressing
  poverty created system of entitlement that has
  resulted in more welfare and more dependence on
  welfare

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Libertarian approach to poverty

• Families should care for their own
• Self-interest as driving force of all human
  behaviour (Dalton et. al. 199644)
• Not concerned about inequality and poverty if
  have free market
• Respond to poverty and unemployment through
  incentives low or no welfare, low wages, low
  taxes and low government spending

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Libertarian and neo-liberal approach

• Also private services education, health etc
• Leave people free to make own decisions values
  individual responsibility
• Residual welfare as a back up for those who can
  demonstrate need. Strong role for charities
  (McClleland 2006)

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• Evidence that neo-liberal policies based on the
  cutting of welfare services/programs --has
  consistently led to increased levels of poverty
  and inequality (Mendes 2002)

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Social liberal

• Importance of individual freedom but tempered by
  idea of utility greatest good for greatest
  number of people
• Address the worst excesses of poverty, crime and
  disease (Dalton et. al 199645)
• Idea that social ills are caused by social
  disorganization (Mullaly 1997102)

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Social liberal responses to poverty

• Concerned about poverty but not so much about
  inequality if not inequality of opportunity
• Poverty result of individual plus social
  organisation
• Act on poverty through education and training,
  services and government payments but not too
  high.
• Australia has some social liberal tradition plus
  conservative (McClleland 2006)

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Conservative tradition

• Liberal ideology with its values of individual
  freedom and responsibility (McCllaland 200522)
• Residual model of welfare
• More focus on issues of law and order
• Discipline, family, community
• Importance of meeting obligations

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Conservative tradition

• In resepct of povertyit is at least potentially
  a problem requiring state action but not too
  much state interference (Alcock 199743)
• Relief of poverty not prevention
• Conditionality of welfare programs
• Deserving/undeserving

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Social democracy

• ..seeks to intervene, or interfere in the market
  economy in order to prevent the problems
  (Alcock 46)
• Values of freedom, equality, collectivism
  (Mullaly 1997103)
• State has a positive role to play in society
• Social ills caused by conflicts within economic
  system

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Social democratic response to poverty

• Concerned about poverty and equality
• Poverty and inequality are failures of economic
  and social structure
• Promotes policies that are universal and treat
  people equally high payments, services for all
  child care, health. Strong focus on social
  citizenship
• But also social responsibility of individuals
• (McClleland 2006)

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Communitarian

• Belief in injustice of capitalist economic system
  that exploits labour and is cause of poverty
• Transformation of capitalist economy to socialist
  economy
• Welfare state is a prop of capitalist states that
  promote capitalist economy

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Current framework

• Welfare as a channel for the pursuit of
  self-interest
• - incentives
• - low levels of income support
• Welfare as the exercise of authority
• - people are not always capable of
• acting in appropriate ways and need
• to be encouraged
• Welfare as a transition to work
• - work is best form of welfare

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• mechanism for moral regeneration -
• -- welfare needs to foster a sense
  
• of duty
• Welfare as an expression of altruism
• -- welfare should promote equality
• -- redistribution of resources
• (McClleland 200625)

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References

• McClleland, A. Smyth, P. (Eds) (2006)
• Social Policy in Australia Understanding
  for Action. Melbourne. Oxford University Press
• Dalton, A., Weekes, W., Draper, M Wiseman, J.
  (1996) Making social policy in Australia. Allen
  and Unwin
• Mullaly, B. (1997) Structural social work. Oxford
  University Press. 2nd Ed.
• Alcock, P. (1997) Understanding poverty. London
  Macmillan
• Mendes, P. (2002 ) Submission to Senate Inquiry
  into Poverty in Australia