Abstract
The election of the Howard Government has marked a paradigm shift in welfare policy with the implementation of far reaching reforms around the concept of mutual obligation. At the same time, there has been media speculation about the Government's use of 'wedge politics' to sustain its political agenda with respect to welfare and other policies. Wedge politics, however, is yet to receive detailed analysis in Australian political science. We define wedge politics to be a calculated political tactic aimed at using divisive social issues to gain political support, weaken opponents and strengthen control over the political agenda. The purpose of this paper is thus twofold: to develop a definition of wedge politics and to investigate how the Howard Government's welfare reform agenda might be understood as an example of such politics, drawing out its longer-term implications.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 384-402 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Australian Journal of Politics and History |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - Sep 2001 |
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Wedge politics and welfare reform in Australia. / Wilson, Shaun; Turnbull, Nick.
In: Australian Journal of Politics and History, Vol. 47, No. 3, 09.2001, p. 384-402.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Wedge politics and welfare reform in Australia
AU - Wilson, Shaun
AU - Turnbull, Nick
PY - 2001/9
Y1 - 2001/9
N2 - The election of the Howard Government has marked a paradigm shift in welfare policy with the implementation of far reaching reforms around the concept of mutual obligation. At the same time, there has been media speculation about the Government's use of 'wedge politics' to sustain its political agenda with respect to welfare and other policies. Wedge politics, however, is yet to receive detailed analysis in Australian political science. We define wedge politics to be a calculated political tactic aimed at using divisive social issues to gain political support, weaken opponents and strengthen control over the political agenda. The purpose of this paper is thus twofold: to develop a definition of wedge politics and to investigate how the Howard Government's welfare reform agenda might be understood as an example of such politics, drawing out its longer-term implications.
AB - The election of the Howard Government has marked a paradigm shift in welfare policy with the implementation of far reaching reforms around the concept of mutual obligation. At the same time, there has been media speculation about the Government's use of 'wedge politics' to sustain its political agenda with respect to welfare and other policies. Wedge politics, however, is yet to receive detailed analysis in Australian political science. We define wedge politics to be a calculated political tactic aimed at using divisive social issues to gain political support, weaken opponents and strengthen control over the political agenda. The purpose of this paper is thus twofold: to develop a definition of wedge politics and to investigate how the Howard Government's welfare reform agenda might be understood as an example of such politics, drawing out its longer-term implications.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0035536676&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Review article
VL - 47
SP - 384
EP - 402
JO - Australian Journal of Politics and History
T2 - Australian Journal of Politics and History
JF - Australian Journal of Politics and History
SN - 0004-9522
IS - 3
ER -