Poverty, policy and the state : social security reform in New Zealand / [electronic resource]
O'Brien, Mike,1946-author.
New Zealand has experienced both sweeping economic and social reform and growing poverty and income inequality in the last twenty years. This book explores the changes to social security provision and coverage in the context of these developments and of widening national and international poverty and inequality. The book argues that the policy initiatives have altered the nature of social security and in doing so have significantly transformed the nature of social citizenship. The author brings the New Zealand data together in a way that has not been done previously and provides the reader with both a detailed discussion of the work on poverty and living standards in New Zealand and the political and economic context within which social security changes have occurred. Linking the discussion to international changes in social security and to the international literature on poverty and inequality, the author demonstrates the important implications the New Zealand directions have for the development of social security internationally. The book will be of considerable interest for all those interested in international reshaping of state support for the poorest and most vulnerable and its development in a neoliberal and Third Way.
Poverty, policy and the state; Contents; List of tables and figures; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction; Structure of the book; A word on terminology and timing; 2. Mapping the territory: a brie fhistorical overview; Introduction; Early colonial beginnings; The 1938 Social Security Act; Royal Commission on Social Security; Reshaping since 1984; Families not in paid work with dependent children; Families in paid work with children; New Zealand Superannuation; Benefit structure; Twenty years on; Conclusion; 3. Defining and measuring inequality and poverty; Introduction
Measuring and monitoring growing inequalityDefining and measuring poverty; New Zealand poverty research; The social services and community sector; Conclusion; 4. Facing the greatest risk of poverty: who?; Introduction; Growing and changing poverty; The distribution of inequality and poverty ethnicity; Women; Sickness and disability; Families; Living standards; Lone parents; Unemployment beneficiaries; Housing; Concluding comments; 5. Poverty and low living standards: effects and impacts; Introduction; Survival and participation; Home; Access to essential services
Balancing the budget and making ends meetPersonal and social relationships; Responses; Official responses; Service responses; Conclusion; 6. Politics, globalisation and social security; Introduction; Changing the basic structure; Towards an explanation: politics and globalisation; Concluding remarks; 7. The Fourth Labour government: 1984-90; Political and economic direction; Incomes, inequality and poverty; Reshaping social security begins; Concluding comments; 8. National and National-ledgovernment: 1990-99; Political and economic direction; Reshaping social security
Citizenship and directionA word on words; Conclusion; 9. The early 21st century: Labour-led developments; Introduction; Political and economic direction; Reshaping social security: the next steps; Conclusion; 10. Social security: how social, how secure?; Introduction; What and who is a citizen?; Poverty, income adequacy and change; By way of final reflection; Appendix A: Items used in the calibration of the ELSI scale; Appendix B: Purpose of social security; References; Index
Includes bibliographical references (p. 251-272) and index.
Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 19 Jan 2022).
New Zealand has experienced both sweeping economic and social reform and growing poverty and income inequality in the last twenty years. This book explores the changes to social security provision and coverage in the context of these developments and of widening national and international poverty and inequality. The book argues that the policy initiatives have altered the nature of social security and in doing so have significantly transformed the nature of social citizenship. The author brings the New Zealand data together in a way that has not been done previously and provides the reader with both a detailed discussion of the work on poverty and living standards in New Zealand and the political and economic context within which social security changes have occurred. Linking the discussion to international changes in social security and to the international literature on poverty and inequality, the author demonstrates the important implications the New Zealand directions have for the development of social security internationally. The book will be of considerable interest for all those interested in international reshaping of state support for the poorest and most vulnerable and its development in a neoliberal and Third Way.
Social security
Poverty