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Neoliberalism, policy localisation and idealised subjects: a case study on educational restructuring in England

Debate about neoliberalism has been a defining drama of twenty-first century geography. Appreciation of the contingent nature of neoliberalization has promoted interest in the localization of policy, and this paper furthers debate in three ways. Firstly, it highlights the importance of the peopling...

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Main Authors: Sarah Holloway, Helena Pimlott-Wilson
Format: Default Article
Published: 2012
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2134/10796
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author Sarah Holloway
Helena Pimlott-Wilson
author_facet Sarah Holloway
Helena Pimlott-Wilson
author_sort Sarah Holloway (1255764)
collection Figshare
description Debate about neoliberalism has been a defining drama of twenty-first century geography. Appreciation of the contingent nature of neoliberalization has promoted interest in the localization of policy, and this paper furthers debate in three ways. Firstly, it highlights the importance of the peopling of the state and more specifically the importance of everyday public sector workers in the localized production of roll-out neoliberalization. Secondly, it illustrates the significance of these actors’ ideas about idealised policy subjects -- and the ways they relate these to their own client groups in different socio-economic neighbourhoods -- in the localised emergence of policy. Thirdly, it explores the consequences of this for geographically and socially uneven service provision under neoliberalization. These arguments are illustrated through a case study focus on educational restructuring under New Labour. Our focus is on the Extended Service initiative which combines workfare and family policy agenda by giving primary schools a duty provide/signpost: wraparound childcare; enrichment activities for children; and parenting support. The case study explores how headteachers’ understandings of idealised neoliberal parenting subject positions, and their notions of ideal childhoods, shape their attitudes to the implementation of this programme in schools serving different socio-economic communities. This process not only involves the reproduction of classed, (de)gendered, and heterosexed discourses seen in national policy, but also moments where local actors draw on alternative models of parenting and/or childhood to influence school-based policy, with the result that what is perceived to be ‘good’ for families of one social class is not seen to be so for others. There is a complex politics at play here. Academics must both expose the class biases inherent in neoliberal policies, at the same time as they work as ‘critical friends’ in improving public service provision which impacts positively on some individuals’ lives.
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spelling rr-article-94847122012-01-01T00:00:00Z Neoliberalism, policy localisation and idealised subjects: a case study on educational restructuring in England Sarah Holloway (1255764) Helena Pimlott-Wilson (1255425) Other earth sciences not elsewhere classified Neoliberalization Policy localization Policy subjects Class Parents Education Earth Sciences not elsewhere classified Debate about neoliberalism has been a defining drama of twenty-first century geography. Appreciation of the contingent nature of neoliberalization has promoted interest in the localization of policy, and this paper furthers debate in three ways. Firstly, it highlights the importance of the peopling of the state and more specifically the importance of everyday public sector workers in the localized production of roll-out neoliberalization. Secondly, it illustrates the significance of these actors’ ideas about idealised policy subjects -- and the ways they relate these to their own client groups in different socio-economic neighbourhoods -- in the localised emergence of policy. Thirdly, it explores the consequences of this for geographically and socially uneven service provision under neoliberalization. These arguments are illustrated through a case study focus on educational restructuring under New Labour. Our focus is on the Extended Service initiative which combines workfare and family policy agenda by giving primary schools a duty provide/signpost: wraparound childcare; enrichment activities for children; and parenting support. The case study explores how headteachers’ understandings of idealised neoliberal parenting subject positions, and their notions of ideal childhoods, shape their attitudes to the implementation of this programme in schools serving different socio-economic communities. This process not only involves the reproduction of classed, (de)gendered, and heterosexed discourses seen in national policy, but also moments where local actors draw on alternative models of parenting and/or childhood to influence school-based policy, with the result that what is perceived to be ‘good’ for families of one social class is not seen to be so for others. There is a complex politics at play here. Academics must both expose the class biases inherent in neoliberal policies, at the same time as they work as ‘critical friends’ in improving public service provision which impacts positively on some individuals’ lives. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 2134/10796 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Neoliberalism_policy_localisation_and_idealised_subjects_a_case_study_on_educational_restructuring_in_England/9484712 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
spellingShingle Other earth sciences not elsewhere classified
Neoliberalization
Policy localization
Policy subjects
Class
Parents
Education
Earth Sciences not elsewhere classified
Sarah Holloway
Helena Pimlott-Wilson
Neoliberalism, policy localisation and idealised subjects: a case study on educational restructuring in England
title Neoliberalism, policy localisation and idealised subjects: a case study on educational restructuring in England
title_full Neoliberalism, policy localisation and idealised subjects: a case study on educational restructuring in England
title_fullStr Neoliberalism, policy localisation and idealised subjects: a case study on educational restructuring in England
title_full_unstemmed Neoliberalism, policy localisation and idealised subjects: a case study on educational restructuring in England
title_short Neoliberalism, policy localisation and idealised subjects: a case study on educational restructuring in England
title_sort neoliberalism, policy localisation and idealised subjects: a case study on educational restructuring in england
topic Other earth sciences not elsewhere classified
Neoliberalization
Policy localization
Policy subjects
Class
Parents
Education
Earth Sciences not elsewhere classified
url https://hdl.handle.net/2134/10796