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Collective representations and social praxis: local politics in the Norwegian welfare state
Author(s) -
Kronenfeld David B.,
Vike Halvard
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of the royal anthropological institute
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.62
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1467-9655
pISSN - 1359-0987
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9655.00126
Subject(s) - welfare state , praxis , ideology , productivity , politics , economics , norwegian , meaning (existential) , autonomy , welfare , positive economics , political economy , sociology , economic system , political science , market economy , epistemology , law , economic growth , linguistics , philosophy
We consider an attempt – within an economy under pressure to stay competitive in an increasingly integrated global economic system – to reconcile the contradictory pressures of democratic values versus managerial efficiency, and of the desire for an effective social welfare safety net versus the need for budgetary responsibility. We focus on a local welfare committee’s experimental attempt to improve morale and productivity through a combination of added resources and greater autonomy. The better but more expensive service produced by the experiment triggered the paradoxical conclusion that what was needed was tighter administrative oversight. The experiment and its evaluation became a kind of self–fulfilling prophecy. We explore the conceptual, ideological, and economic factors that shape the government’s reaction, and then offer a theory of word meaning, usage, and power in public discourse that accounts for the discussion and the actions that flow from it.