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Unlock This CourseThe New Right emerged as a powerful political and economic perspective in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly influencing the governments of Margaret Thatcher in the UK and Ronald Reagan in the USA. Their views on poverty represent a significant shift from previous welfare-state approaches and continue to influence social policy today.
Key Definitions:
The New Right believes in free markets with minimal government intervention. They argue that economic growth benefits everyone through "trickle-down economics" - as the wealthy prosper, benefits trickle down to all levels of society. According to this view, the state should not interfere with market forces.
The New Right emphasises traditional family structures and personal responsibility. They believe in self-reliance rather than state dependency. According to this perspective, individuals should take responsibility for their own welfare rather than relying on the state for support.
Charles Murray is one of the most influential New Right thinkers on poverty. In his 1984 book "Losing Ground" and later works, he developed the concept of the 'underclass' to explain persistent poverty.
Murray argued that poverty isn't primarily caused by structural factors like unemployment or low wages, but by the behaviour and values of poor people themselves. He claimed that an 'underclass' had developed - people who rejected mainstream values of hard work, self-reliance and family stability.
Murray identified rising rates of single parenthood as a key cause of poverty. He argued that welfare benefits made it financially viable for women to have children without fathers present, leading to a cycle of poverty.
According to Murray, generous welfare benefits discourage work, as some people calculate they can receive more money from benefits than from low-paid jobs. This creates a culture of worklessness passed down through generations.
Murray linked poverty to higher crime rates, suggesting that underclass communities develop different moral codes where criminal behaviour becomes normalised, further isolating them from mainstream society.
In 1989, Charles Murray was invited to the UK by the Sunday Times to investigate whether an underclass existed in Britain. He visited areas in Liverpool and London and concluded that Britain was developing an American-style underclass. He pointed to rising rates of single parenthood, crime and long-term unemployment as evidence. Murray's ideas were influential in shaping UK social policy under the Conservative governments of the 1980s and 1990s.
A central concept in New Right thinking is the idea of 'dependency culture' - the belief that welfare benefits create dependency rather than helping people escape poverty.
New Right thinkers argue that well-intentioned welfare policies actually harm the people they're meant to help by creating a 'welfare trap'. This happens in several ways:
Based on their analysis of poverty, New Right thinkers advocate specific policy approaches:
New Right ideas have influenced policy in several countries:
While New Right theories have been influential, they've also faced significant criticism from sociologists and other commentators:
Critics argue that New Right theories ignore structural causes of poverty like lack of jobs, low wages and discrimination. They focus too much on individual behaviour and not enough on economic systems that create inequality.
Research suggests welfare dependency is less common than New Right thinkers claim. Most people move on and off benefits as their circumstances change, rather than becoming permanently dependent.
Critics say New Right theories 'blame the victim' by suggesting poor people are responsible for their own poverty through bad choices, ignoring factors beyond their control.
The UK's Universal Credit system, introduced from 2013, shows clear New Right influence. It aims to make work pay by ensuring people are always better off working than on benefits. It includes work requirements and benefit caps. However, research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found implementation problems led to increased hardship for many recipients, with rising food bank use in areas where it was introduced. This highlights the potential gap between New Right theory and practical outcomes.
To fully understand New Right theories, it's helpful to compare them with other sociological perspectives:
While New Right thinkers blame individual behaviour and welfare dependency for poverty, Marxists see poverty as an inevitable feature of capitalism. They argue capitalism requires a reserve army of labour (unemployed people) to keep wages down and maximise profits. For Marxists, poverty serves the interests of the ruling class, while New Right thinkers see welfare dependency as harming both the poor and society.
New Right thinkers often criticise single mothers and see traditional family breakdown as a cause of poverty. In contrast, feminist sociologists argue that women's poverty is linked to gender inequality, including lower pay, unpaid caring responsibilities and economic dependence on men. They see welfare benefits as necessary support for women, not a cause of dependency.
When assessing New Right theories on poverty for your iGCSE Sociology, consider these points:
Remember that sociologists with different perspectives will interpret the same evidence in different ways based on their theoretical standpoint. A balanced analysis should consider multiple perspectives on poverty.