post-welfare-citizenship
A model of citizenship emphasizing self-responsibility, private enterprise, and empowerment over state dependency, reflecting contemporary welfare reform ideologies.
2 chapters across 1 book
Better Living through Reality TV: Television and Post-Welfare Citizenship (2008)Laurie Ouellette; James Hay
Chapter 1 analyzes the rise of reality TV charity programs as a form of privatized social care aligned with neoliberal welfare reform. It situates these programs within a broader shift from the traditional Welfare State to a market-driven 'Opportunity, Inc.' model that emphasizes personal responsibility, self-empowerment, and private sector involvement in social service delivery. The chapter critiques how television, under deregulation, mobilizes compassion and private resources to manage social needs while reinforcing a post-welfare citizenship ethos.
Chapter 2 analyzes the role of reality TV, particularly life intervention programs, in privatizing social services by promoting self-management and personal responsibility within a neoliberal framework. It traces the historical legacy of social work and contrasts it with contemporary reality TV's entrepreneurial approach to governing the self, emphasizing techniques that encourage individuals to become self-sufficient citizens. The chapter also situates these TV programs within broader political rationalities of welfare reform and cultural governance, highlighting their function as cultural technologies that shape citizen behavior beyond direct state intervention.