Introduction

This book has investigated a number of social policy fields, to explore aspects of social control that have been evident over the recent past and have continued into the present period of UK coalition government. One key question has concerned how far social control and behaviourist ideas are common ground across a range of welfare, education, health and care policy fields. Although policy domains have their own specific histories, environments and orientations, the chapters in this collection nonetheless demonstrate that there is indeed a broad pattern of similarities in disciplinary and behaviourist ideas and approaches across a range of territories. This concluding chapter touches briefly on these similarities while summarising some of the main findings across the social policy terrain. There is then a more general discussion, referring to trends, their implications and the Big Society. The importance of exclusion is highlighted, as a frequent adjunct and part of social control strategy and consequences. Current approaches to dependency contribute to damaging outcomes as far as the lives of low-income and vulnerable people are concerned, and it seems to be a ‘not-so-big society’ that is unfolding under the coalition, rather than something inclusive and supportive for social integration in difficult economic times. Simultaneously, governments’ attempts to control behaviour in line with economic liberal assumptions and desires have given support to substantial reductions in both liberties and opportunities.

A review of findings

Generally, the patterns of a ‘new behaviourism’ that appear as an undertone for contemporary social policy individualise social problems. Difficulties for households are seen as being caused by the individual, the family or perhaps an entire community or social category that has failed to act appropriately or fulfil duties as citizens. Harrison and Hemingway in Chapter Two explored the various indicators of a behaviourist approach, describing how policies are often centred on incentivising, reclaiming, disciplining and excluding people who appear to step outside what is judged to be acceptable behaviour. The authors discussed how behaviour is judged and controlled increasingly through a range of contracts, imposed duties and expectations of conditionality, with individual behaviour monitored by a range of policing agencies. Chapter Two illustrates the continual reinvention of interventions, programmes and approaches to behaviour management, as ‘vulnerability’ and the perceived challenges posed by particular households are dealt with by imposing responsibilities and duties.