New Rightwww.educationforum.co.uk

What is the New Right? Aka market liberalism or neo liberalism The New Right can be seen as functionalism with a

distinctly political edge NR thinkers such as Murray, Scruton, Johnson, Abbott,

Wallace are pro Family, ‘pro free market’, anti State, and pro conservative moral values

NR assert that important institutions in society are becoming dysfunctional because of left wing social policy and are of need of protection and reform. E.G. The Welfare State stops the stratification system from fulfilling the function of incentivising people to work, diversity and divorce are destroying the nuclear families ability to carry out its functions of socializing the young effectively, state control of education is harming schools ability to socialise and educate effectively

New Right and the Family

The New Right believes that the nuclear family is the bedrock of society.New Right ideas heavily influenced social policy while the Conservative Party were in government in the 1980’s and 1990’s and there are also elements of New Right thinking in aspects of New Labour’s policies

New Right and the Family• The family is seen as the central

stabilising feature of modern life.• It promotes decency, manners,

respect for property and the law, self reliance etc.

• This is in keeping with a functionalist view of the role of the family

New Right and the Family• New Right thinkers believe that the

nuclear family has been undermined by social policies such as divorce legislation and welfare benefits.

• Divorce is seen as “too easy” and benefits “too generous”

• The New Right is alarmed by the growing numbers of single mothers

• The breakdown of the family is seen as the cause of rising crime.

• New Right thinking has had some influence on social policy – specifically making it harder for people to get benefits

New Right and the Family• The New Right fails to acknowledge

unequal relationships in families (exploitation of women)

• The New right model of the family has been seen as intolerant and not inclusive – gay relationships, reconstituted families, unmarried parents and especially single mothers are all condemned by the logic of New Right thinking.

New Right and Education NR thinkers believe that State education

needs opening up to market forces in order to be most effective – all marketization social policies such as league tables, academies, free schools, local financial management are informed by the NR

NR thinkers also believe education should be made more relevant to the world of work – New vocationalism

New VocationalismGNVQ’s were introduced in 1993 – at

Level 3 these are now named Vocational A levels

NVQ’s were introduced 1993 - usually for those in work to attend on day release

Curriculum 2000 brought the AS/A2 levels which are meant to be easily combined with vocational A levels and to include KEY SKILLS

New Vocationalism EGs1983 YTS (Youth Training Scheme) to

give school leavers some ‘on the job training’

1990 YT (Youth Training) replaced YTS –more flexible.

1997 New Deal – all under 25’s receiving benefits were required to take up a subsidised job

or voluntary work or full time education/training

CriticismsNV perpetuates the class inequalities

of the education systemNV courses and schemes are heavily

populated by working class students and ethnic minorities

Sex stereotyping is reinforced by NV schemes – girls are often channelled into retail and hairdressing

Criticisms of marketization in schools Creates winners and losers rather than

equal opportunity Names and shames school – process

damaging for pupils Inefficient way of allocating resources Too much power for head teachers?

The NR Welfare and the State NR thinkers identify the emergence of a

dysfunctional underclass as a consequence of the Welfare State

‘… a stratum of people who are generally poor, unqualified and irregularly or never employed. This underclass is disproportionately recruited today from among Afro-Caribbean's, people living in the north, those who are trapped in run-down council estates or in single parent families’ (Saunders)

NR wish to REDUCE the size and role of the State in the lives of individuals

New Right Welfare PolicyChallenge dependency by:Reducing benefitsForce people to accept training or work in return for benefitsHow can these views be criticised??