Individualisation reversed: the cross-class politics of social regulation in the UK’s public/private pension mix

Abstract

Since the turn of the century UK pension politics has been dominated by legislative and regulatory efforts to increase the state’s redistributive role in the pension system. Such developments are unexpected by the theoretical literature on welfare states. This predicts regulatory disputes in multi-pillar pension systems, but does not expect egalitarian reforms in liberal systems like the UK where organised labour is weak. We explain these reforms as a product of a temporary cross-class alliance, facilitated by a cohesive pension policy network, and formalised by an independent Pensions Commission. The consensus was possible because the public/private nature of the UK pension system politicised the non-state sphere, shaping the preferences of pension policy actors, and leading business to reach a compromise agreement with unions.