breaking the ‘vicious circle of non participation’ in welfare policy在福利政策打破非参与‘恶性循环

BREAKINGTHEVICIOUSCIRCLEOFNONPARTICIPATIONINWELFAREPOLICYBERNAKAHRAMAN17THISPAPERENVISIONSATHIRDWAYINWHICHSOCIALPOLICYINGENERALANDWELFAREPOLICYINPARTICULAR,ISTRANSFORMEDINTOASYSTEMTHATISCENTEREDONCITIZENENGAGEMENT,VOICEANDPARTICIPATION,FROMONETHATSEESCITIZENSASMERECLIENTSANDCONSUMERSGAVENTA5WHYISPARTICIPATIONIMPORTANTINTHEPOLICYPROCESSFIRSTLY,PARTICIPATIONISDESIRABLEASAVALUEINITSOWNSAKESOMEHAVEINDICATEDTHAT“RIGHTOFPARTICIPATIONINDECISIONMAKINGINSOCIAL,ECONOMIC,CULTURAL,POLITICALLIFESHOULDBEINCLUDEDINTHENEXUSOFBASICHUMANRIGHTS”LISTER1998228OTHERSGAVENTAANDCORNWALL2001HAVEMADEACASEFORPARTICIPATORYSOCIALPOLICYWITHTHECONVICTIONTHATGLOBALIZATIONANDINCREASINGTRENDSINDECENTRALIZATIONANDPRIVATIZATIONCOMPLICATECITIZENSRELATIONSHIPWITHTHEPOLICYWORLDINGRAMANDSMITH2002HAVEALSODRAWNATTENTIONTOTHEINCREASEDUSEOFWHATTHEYCALLINDIRECTPOLICYTOOLSINTHEAREAOFSOCIALPOLICYTHESEINDIRECTTOOLSINVOLVE,FOREXAMPLE,CONTRACTINGWITHPRIVATENONPROFITANDFORPROFITORGANIZATIONS,TAXCREDITS,VOUCHERS,REGULATIONANDLOANSTHETOOLSHAVEBEENGEAREDTOWARDSENHANCINGEFFICIENCYANDEFFECTIVENESSOFSERVICEDELIVERY,BUTTHEEFFECTSOFTHESETOOLSONDEMOCRACYANDCITIZENINVOLVEMENTINTHEPROCESSHAVEOFTENBEENOVERLOOKEDFURTHERMOREWITHTHEINTRODUCTIONOFTHIRDPARTYORGANIZATIONSINWELFAREPOLICY,THEMONITORINGANDEVALUATIONOFTHEPOLICYOUTCOMESHASBECOMEMORECOMPLEXANDTHEACCOUNTABILITYSTRUCTURESHAVEBEENOBSCUREDTHEPOORCITIZENSDONOTASSOCIATETHESESERVICESWITHTHEGOVERNMENTEVENTHOUGHTHEFUNDINGOFTHEPROGRAMSISTHROUGHTHEGOVERNMENTASTHEFEEDBACKMECHANISMISBROKEN,ITISDIFFICULTFORCITIZENSTOSHAPETHEINFORMATIONTHATFEEDSINTOPOLICYDESIGNTHISRESULTSINIMBALANCESAMONGSTSTAKEHOLDERSANDCONSEQUENTLYRAISESJUSTICE,LEGITIMACYANDEFFECTIVENESSPROBLEMSWITHINTHEPOLICYAREAGIVENTHECOMPLEXPOLITICALECONOMYSURROUNDINGDELIVERYOFSOCIALSERVICES,PARTICIPATIONHASAROLETOPROVIDEBETTERACCESSTOINFORMATION,CREATEAFORUMFORPUBLICDISCOURSEANDIMPROVETHEPOLICYPROCESSTOWARDTHEDESIGNINGOFPOLICYTOOLSTHATBETTERSERVETHENEEDSOFPEOPLEINGRAM581INTHISREGARDPARTICIPATIONHASAPOTENTIALINOVERCOMINGDEFICIENCIESOFGOVERNANCEANDINSTITUTIONALFAILURESOFTHEPOLICYTHISPAPERISDIVIDEDINTOTWOPARTSINTHEFIRSTPARTOFTHEPAPERWEANALYZETHESTATEOFAFFAIRSINTHEGOVERNANCEOFTHE“WELFAREPOLICY”WITHREGARDTOPARTICIPATIONBYTHERECIPIENTSWELOOKATTHEVARIOUSSTAGESOFTHEPOLICYPROCESSSTARTINGWITHPROBLEMDEFINITIONANDAGENDASETTINGHENCEINTHEFIRSTPARTTHEQUESTIONSWEINVESTIGATEAREWHATARETHEFACTORSANDWHOARETHEACTORSINVOLVEDINTHEPROBLEMDEFINITIONANDAGENDASETTINGINTHEDECISIONMAKINGOFTHISPOLICY,TOWHATEXTENTARETHEPOORPEOPLEINCLUDEDORHAVEANEFFECTONTHEOUTCOMESANDSTEERINGOFTHEPOLICYAREAWHATARECURRENTPROCESSESFORCOLLECTIVEDECISIONMAKINGWHOISINCLUDEDOREXCLUDEDWHATARETHERESTRICTIONSOROBSTACLESTOWARDSCHANGEINTHEPOLICYAREATHESECONDPARTOFTHEPAPERWECONSIDERMECHANISMSFORPARTICIPATORYREFORMINTHEPOLICYPARTIANALYSISOFWELFAREPOLICYCREATIONOFPOVERTYKNOWLEDGETOUNDERSTANDTHEDYNAMICSOFDECISIONMAKINGINTHEAREAOFWELFAREPOLICYONEHASTOUNDERSTANDWHEREANDHOWPROBLEMDEFINITIONANDAGENDASETTINGTAKEPLACEWHEREDOESTHEKNOWLEDGEONPOVERTYCOMEFROM,HOWISITCONSTRUCTEDANDINWHATWAYSDOESITTRANSLATEINTOPOLICYDESIGNCURRENTLYWITHINTHESYSTEM,INFORMATIONREGARDINGTHEPOVERTYPROBLEMANDHOWSOCIALPROGRAMSAFFECTTHEPOORHAVEBEENDEFINEDANDPRODUCEDBYANETWORKOFPUBLICAGENCIES,THINKTANKS,UNIVERSITYBASEDANDPRIVATELYOPERATEDRESEARCHINSTITUTESTHATRELYONQUANTITATIVENATIONALLEVELDATATHISKNOWLEDGEISHIGHLYPOLITICALINNATUREANDITRELIESONTHE“ABILITYOFWELLPLACEDRESEARCHENTREPRENEURSTOACTASADVOCATESFORPARTICULARAPPROACHES,THEORETICALFRAMEWORKSANDFORTHENECESSITYOFSOCIALSCIENTIFICEXPERTISEASTHEBASISOFENLIGHTENEDPOLICY”OCONNOR200111INTHEINVESTIGATIONOFTHISKNOWLEDGE,SCIENTIFICNEUTRALITYANDOBJECTIVITYHASBEENDEEMEDTOBETHECOREVALUESINTHISREGARD,POVERTYRESEARCHTOALARGEEXTENTHASCONCENTRATEDONTHEBEHAVIORANDCHARACTERISTICSOFTHEPOORFOREXAMPLE,THEWELFAREREFORMOF1996WASPREDICATEDONTHEPOVERTYKNOWLEDGETHAT“INDIVIDUALFAILINGSRATHERTHANSTRUCTURALINEQUALITY,CULTURALANDSKILL“DEFICITS”RATHERTHANTHEUNEQUALDISTRIBUTIONOFPOWERANDWEALTH”WERERESPONSIBLEFORTHEPOVERTYPROBLEMANDTHATELIMINATINGLONGTERMDEPENDENCYSHOULDBETHEMAINTARGETOFTHEPROGRAMOCONNOR20014THISREQUIRESCHANGINGWELFARETOPROMOTEWORKANDEMPHASIZINGINDIVIDUALSELFSUFFICIENCYTHEREFORE,THEREFORMHASPAIDMOSTOFITSATTENTIONTOCHANGINGTHEBEHAVIOROFPOORPEOPLEWHILENOTTAKINGASSERIOUSLYTHEPROBLEMSOFLOWWAGEWORK,RISINGINCOMEINEQUALITYANDSTRUCTURALECONOMICCHANGE“CONTEMPORARYPOVERTYKNOWLEDGEDOESNOTDEFINEITSELFASANINQUIRYINTOTHEPOLITICALECONOMYANDLATETWENTIETHCENTURYCAPITALISM”OCONNOR20014THEREFOREITDOESNOTTAKEINTOACCOUNTANDISNOTCONCERNEDABOUTTHEANOMALIESANDTHEDISTRIBUTIVEOUTCOMESBROUGHTABOUTBYTHESYSTEMOFCAPITALISMFURTHERMORETHISBODYOFKNOWLEDGERARELYTOLERATESINFORMATIONCOMINGFROMDIRECTACTIONOREVERYDAYEXPERIENCESOFTHEPEOPLE,ESPECIALLYTHEPOORTHEMSELVESASTHISKINDOFINFORMATIONISNOTCONSIDEREDTOBEOBJECTIVEOREASILYMEASURABLEINSCIENTIFICTERMSTHESOCIALSCIENCEAPPROACHTOPOVERTYKNOWLEDGEHASTHUSALSODEFINEDTHEBORDERSOFWHOPARTICIPATESASANAUTHORITYINTHELARGERPUBLICREALMTHEREFOREITFAILSTOINCLUDESUFFICIENTLYTHEKNOWLEDGE,EXPERTISE,DISCRETIONOFGROUPSESPECIALLYVULNERABLETOPOV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