New Right
www.educationforum.co.uk
What is the New Right?
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Aka market liberalism or neo liberalism
The New Right can be seen as functionalism with a
distinctly political edge
NR thinkers such as Murray, Scruton, Johnson, Abbott,
Wallace are pro Family, ‘pro free market’, anti State, and
pro conservative moral values
NR assert that important institutions in society are becoming
dysfunctional because of left wing social policy and are of
need of protection and reform. E.G. The Welfare State stops
the stratification system from fulfilling the function of
incentivising people to work, diversity and divorce are
destroying the nuclear families ability to carry out its
functions of socializing the young effectively, state control
of education is harming schools ability to socialise and
educate effectively
New Right and the Family
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New Right believes that the nuclear
family is the bedrock of society.
 New Right ideas heavily influenced social
policy while the Conservative Party were
in government in the 1980’s and 1990’s
and there are also elements of New Right
thinking in aspects of New Labour’s
policies
New Right and the Family
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The family is seen as the central
stabilising feature of modern life.
It promotes decency, manners, respect
for property and the law, self reliance etc.
This is in keeping with a functionalist view
of the role of the family
New Right and the Family
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New Right thinkers believe that the nuclear family
has been undermined by social policies such as
divorce legislation and welfare benefits.
Divorce is seen as “too easy” and benefits “too
generous”
The New Right is alarmed by the growing numbers
of single mothers
The breakdown of the family is seen as the cause
of rising crime.
New Right thinking has had some influence on
social policy – specifically making it harder for
people to get benefits
New Right and the Family
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The New Right fails to acknowledge
unequal relationships in families
(exploitation of women)
The New right model of the family has
been seen as intolerant and not inclusive
– gay relationships, reconstituted families,
unmarried parents and especially single
mothers are all condemned by the logic
of New Right thinking.
New Right and Education
 NR
thinkers believe that State education
needs opening up to market forces in
order to be most effective – all
marketization social policies such as
league tables, academies, free schools,
local financial management are informed
by the NR
 NR thinkers also believe education should
be made more relevant to the world of
work – New vocationalism
New Vocationalism
GNVQ’s were introduced in 1993 – at Level 3
these are now named Vocational A levels
NVQ’s were introduced 1993 - usually for those
in work to attend on day release
Curriculum 2000 brought the AS/A2 levels which
are meant to be easily combined with
vocational A levels and to include KEY
SKILLS
New Vocationalism EGs
1983 YTS (Youth Training Scheme) to give
school leavers some ‘on the job training’
1990 YT (Youth Training) replaced YTS –more
flexible.
1997 New Deal – all under 25’s receiving
benefits were required to take up a
subsidised job
or voluntary work or full time education/training
Criticisms
NV perpetuates the class inequalities of the
education system
NV courses and schemes are heavily populated
by working class students and ethnic
minorities
Sex stereotyping is reinforced by NV schemes –
girls are often channelled into retail and
hairdressing
Criticisms of marketization in
schools
 Creates
winners and losers rather than
equal opportunity
 Names and shames school – process
damaging for pupils
 Inefficient way of allocating resources
 Too much power for head teachers?
The NR Welfare and the State
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NR thinkers identify the emergence of a
dysfunctional underclass as a consequence of the
Welfare State
‘… a stratum of people who are generally poor,
unqualified and irregularly or never employed. This
underclass is disproportionately recruited today
from among Afro-Caribbean's, people living in the
north, those who are trapped in run-down council
estates or in single parent families’ (Saunders)
NR wish to REDUCE the size and role of the State in
the lives of individuals
New Right Welfare Policy
Challenge dependency by:
 Reducing benefits
 Force people to accept training or work in
return for benefits
How can these views be criticised??