Impact Of Neoliberal Reforms Research Articles

Rethinking “Transition” in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union Through the Lens of Disability

ABSTRACT The concept of disability can serve as a valuable lens through which a host of established subjects can be revisited in a new light. These include welfare and “welfare dependency,” unemployment, gender relations, social movements, and grassroots activities, the impact of international norms such as human rights and their application in local contexts, and the impact of neoliberal reforms. Despite this potential, disability, unlike the concepts of class, “race,” sexuality, and ethnicity, has yet to make inroads into the field of postsocialist studies. It is precisely this lacuna which our special issue seeks to address.

The End of Surprise? The State of the Subject of Secondary English and Implications for Initial Teacher Education

The chance to be part of educational experiences which provide dialogic spaces for the surprising or unexpected are essential for future English teachers and their pupils. The impact of neoliberal reforms on the secondary English curriculum and initial teacher education restricts teachers' autonomy and pedagogical creativity whereby teaching approaches are reduced to approved processes, leading to monologic and repetitive learning experiences for young people. This has begun a process which, as philosopher Martin Buber would argue, denies the possibility of spontaneity and meaningful expression in the classroom. In response, this paper reflects on my position as a former secondary English teacher and recently employed lecturer in initial teacher education. I set out a way forward where beginning teachers can be empowered to achieve a balance between external expectations and their own values in relation to their subject and the pedagogical approaches they employ. To achieve this, we need to provide spaces for critical reflection on so-called 'best practice' in teaching and learning, especially for those at the beginning of their career.

Indian Agriculture under Open Economic Regime: Implication for Livelihood and Food Security

Despite impressive performance in terms of GDP growth after the introduction of neoliberal reforms, India continues to be the home of the largest number of hungry people in the world. The present paper is an attempt to understand two interrelated issues in this context: the impact of neoliberal reforms on agricultural development and the implication of an open economic regime on food security in India. The study reveals that the austerity measures introduced by the state in the form of decline in capital formation and public sector expenditure in agriculture have undermined the livelihood of the majority of the population in India. The implementation of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Agriculture along with the retreat of the state in the name of fiscal discipline has significantly reduced the bargaining power of the peasants in general and the food security of the majority of the population in particular.

Book Review: Globalisation and the Middle Classes in India: The Social and Cultural Impact of Neoliberal Reforms

Book Review: Globalisation and the Middle Classes in India: The Social and Cultural Impact of Neoliberal Reforms

Engendering research on care and care work across different social contexts

Engendering research on care and care work across different social contexts

Global Neoliberalism and Aids Policy: International Responses to Sub-Saharan Africa’s Pandemic

Like Bavington et al, Colleen O'Manique questions how knowledge has framed political responses in her examination of the African AIDS crisis. She argues that the Western response to the AIDS pandemic in Africa has been informed by biomedicine, epidemiology, and political economy. However, the biomedical and epidemiological approaches to the pandemic are, she argues, consistent and compatible with the ideological hegemony of neoliberalism. Her political economy account of the crisis raises the need to consider the impact of neoliberal reforms—such as privatization of social services and the devolution of responsibility for public health to the local level—on the spread of the disease.

Bolivia: between a rock and a hard place

The election in Bolivia in June 2002 revealed the plight of South America's poorest country trapped between the needs of its own population and external pressures to ‘modernise’ its economy in-line with overseas interests. After years of experiencing the impact of neo-liberal reforms, ‘anti-system’ sentiments are starting to challenge the ability of traditional politicians to represent their interests. The success of an outsider Eva Morales, holding a broadly socialist stance, represents a new departure for indigenous peoples who appear impatient with traditional political slogans. It holds the potential to unleash a new social dynamic into the political landscape of Bolivia, a landscape often compromised by outside interference and internal corruption.

The consequences for the management of conflict of the reform of English local government finance and structure

Abstract This article examines the impact of neo-liberal reforms since 1979 on UK local government. In particular we trace the relationship between increased central government control over both the level of funds and the ways in which monies are spent, and the management of labour. Our interest centres on what happened to labour management practices, given that the sector is labour intensive and has high levels of union membership. The main research method was a longitudinal case study of one large local authority in England. We found that central government policies resulted in downward pressure on unit labour costs, forcing local decision-makers to try to reduce union influence in collective bargaining and to introduce Taylorist programmes to deskill labour and to regulate it. As part of this process there was an attempt by senior managers to reduce political accountability within the council.