Social Policy (Week 4)

Who changed the citizenship test? When and Why?

David Cameron, March 2013

To see if people are interested in what they offer to Britain, to contribute and enrich our communities.

What does “citizenship” mean?

Ancient Greece - ‘citizen’ was a status given to some people living within the city boundary.

What was part of Ancient Greece’s ‘citizenship’?

The ability to:

• Vote

• Own property

• Use certain services

T.H. Marshall ideas on what the membership of citizenship invokes

Marshall believes there were 3 rights that came with being part of a society:

• Civil rights

• Political rights

• Social rights

Civil rights

(Developed in the C18th)

The legal constitution of citizens all being equal before the law and right to justice with individual liberty.

Political rights

(Developed in the C19th)

The participation of citizens - as electors and elected representatives - in the political process, this ensures they have control over the state and may exercise their power when upset with the state.

Social rights

(Developed in the C20th)

Ensuring all citizens can participate in society and expect “a modicum” of economic security through the right to share living standards.

This allowed the ‘the helpless and hopeless of the population’ (Marshall, cited in Baldock et al.) to live a more equal shared living standard.

Manning on Marshall

“The co-existence of these civil, political and social rights, which he argued amounted to the conditions necessary for full membership, seemed to Marshall to be both a historical description of the development of industrial societies and the necessary precondition for the continued existence.” Manning (Baldock et al, 2007)

Issues with Marshall’s model

Does he focus too much on class?

• Lister (2010) claims he ignores gender.

Are other countries the same or is it just the UK?

• Anglocentric.

Many of his rights are now international and not based on ‘citizenship’.

• Human Rights.

Redefinition of citizenship

According to Kymlicka and Norman (200) as well as Drake (2001) citizenship is elusive and hard to define.

The 4 key aspects of the relationship between the individual and state:

Membership - to be a citizen, you must be a ‘member’ of the state.

Participation - a full citizen will participate in decision making and/or legislation. Those who struggle my be excluded (homeless people).

Entitlements - membership carries out certain entitlements e.g. Marshall’s rights, health, education…

Obligations - citizens must share the burdens of a citizenship e.g. law, taxes, jury duty.

Drakes view on social policy in citizenship

“Through their aims, implementation or outcomes, social policies may enhance citizenship or retard it.” (Drake, 2001)

Issues with equality in citizenship (Drake’s aspects)

Civic, political and social rights are restricted for homeless people.

Period poverty on young women.

Stop and search for young black men.

These restrictions undermine their ‘citizenship.

Types of welfare for citizens

Universalism - Entitlement are guaranteed to all regardless of situation.

Selectivism - Entitlement is targeted to those in need.

Conditionality - Entitlement is dependent on certain behaviours.