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Market Values and Youth Political Engagement in the UK: Towards an Agenda for Exploring the Psychological Impacts of Neo-Liberalism

Author

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  • Bradley Allsop

    (School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK)

  • Jacqueline Briggs

    (School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK)

  • Ben Kisby

    (School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK)

Abstract

This article seeks to develop a preliminary analysis of how neo-liberal thought and policies have impacted on youth political engagement in the UK, specifically by attempting to understand how macro-economic and other public policies can influence the individual psychology of citizens and their subsequent behaviour. The article sets out a clear definition and explanation of neo-liberalism and summarises six key neo-liberal impacts particularly pertinent to political engagement: marketisation and the tension this brings with democratic norms; responsibilisation narratives; increased inequality; the changing character of the state through privatisation and deregulation; the preference among policy-makers for ‘expert rule’; and repression of labour. It argues that the main psychological effects that result, and which underpin and define the personal experience of neo-liberal policy, are declines in political efficacy and increases in individualism, the ramifications of which for political engagement are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Bradley Allsop & Jacqueline Briggs & Ben Kisby, 2018. "Market Values and Youth Political Engagement in the UK: Towards an Agenda for Exploring the Psychological Impacts of Neo-Liberalism," Societies, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-20, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:8:y:2018:i:4:p:95-:d:172232
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Bradley Allsop & Ben Kisby, 2019. "The “Youthquake” in British Politics: Myth or Reality?," Societies, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-15, September.

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