In The Name of Liberalism

Illiberal Social Policy in the United States and Britain

Desmond King author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:2nd Sep '99

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In The Name of Liberalism cover

Why have British and North American governments adopted illiberal social policies during this century? In the Name of Liberalism investigates examples of social policy in Britain and the United States that conflict with liberal democratic ideals. The book examines the use of eugenic arguments in the 1920s and 1930s, the use of work camps in the 1930s as a response to mass unemployment and the introduction of work-for-welfare programs since the 1980s. The book argues that existing accounts of American and British political development neglect how illiberal social policies are intertwined in the creation of modern liberal democratic institutions. Such policies are, paradoxically, justified in terms of the liberal democratic framework itself. In the light of the books research, the author suggests that there is a need to know more about the internal workings of democracies to justify the claim that liberal democracy represents the most attractive set of political institutions.

...fascinating and timely new book - Robert Taylor. The Spectator. 20/March/1999
With characteristic thoroughness, Desmond King probes how and why liberal democracies periodically pursue illiberal policies... With illiberal propensities so deeply nested within entrenched liberal democracies such as Britain and the United States, this study sends the timely message that illiberal social policy will be an integral part of our future... The racial sensitivity of this analysis... deserves applause... Overall, In the Name of Liberalism is an eloquently written, conceptually innovative and empirically rich inquiry. It is unusual to find such a study worthy of praise on so many fronts, yet this valuable investigation deserves to attract widespread interest within and beyond the scholarly community. * Fiona Ross, Social Policy Vo.29 No.2 *
Richly researched and suggestive new book... its case studies,,, make vivid the complex of interests and opinions that have gone into the formation of public policy in twentieth-century liberal democracy. * Peter Berkowitz, TLS 25/08/2000 *

ISBN: 9780198296096

Dimensions: 241mm x 163mm x 24mm

Weight: 664g

354 pages