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Subversive Citizens: Power, Agency and Resistance in Public Services
Contributor(s): Barnes, Marian (Editor), Prior, David (Editor)
ISBN: 1847422071     ISBN-13: 9781847422071
Publisher: Policy Press
OUR PRICE:   $53.15  
Product Type: Paperback
Published: July 2009
Qty:
Annotation: Many of the UK's recent reforms in public services have been driven by the image of the 'responsible citizen' the service user who not only has rights to receive services, but also has responsibilities for the delivery of policy outcomes. In this way, c
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Sociology - General
- Political Science | Public Policy - Social Policy
Dewey: 361.941
LCCN: 2009499262
Physical Information: 0.7" H x 6.1" W x 9.1" (0.85 lbs) 248 pages
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Many of the recent reforms in public services in the UK have been driven by the image of the 'responsible citizen' - the service user who does not only have rights to receive services but also has responsibilities for the delivery of policy outcomes. In this way, citizens' everyday conduct is shaped by governmental action, yet there is much evidence that both front-line staff in public services and the people who use them can sometimes act in ways that modify, disrupt or negate intended policy outcomes. Subversive citizens presents a highly original examination of how official policy objectives can be 'subverted' through the actions of staff and users. It discusses the role of public policy in the creation of 'good citizenship', such as making appropriate choices about what to eat and how much to save, to being an active participant in the local community. It also examines how the roles of service delivery staff have changed substantially, and how theories of 'power' and 'agency' are useful in analysing the engagement between public policies (and those employed to deliver them) and the citizens at whom they are targeted. The idea of subversive citizenship is explored through theoretical and empirical analyses by a range of prominent social researchers and will be of interest to students of social policy, sociology, criminology, politics and related disciplines, as well as policy makers involved in public services.

Contributor Bio(s): Barnes, Marian: - Marian Barnes is professor emeritus of social policy at the University of Brighton.