Social Security Policy and Vindictiveness

This paper uses the work of Jock YOUNG (2002 , 2003 ) on the emergence of vindictiveness in late modern society to examine two recent developments – the withdrawal, in certain circumstances, of Housing Benefit from those people evicted for ‘anti-social’ behaviour and the proposed introduction of a Treatment Allowance for ‘problem drug users’ – in social security policy. The paper argues that while since the development of collective responses to poverty there has been concern with the behaviour of individuals in relation to paid work, we are entering a new period of social security policy where it is the general behaviour of individuals that increasingly defines access to social security benefits, rather than their financial needs.