Nudgeberger meets the Big Society
Posted by Christie Malry on July 17, 2011 at 10:12 am
The Guardian has a report today on Julia Neuberger, who has been heading up an enquiry into 'nudge':
The theory – outlined by Richard Thaler, professor of economics and behavioural science at Chicago Graduate School of Business, and by Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein – has been eagerly adopted by David Cameron, who set up a behavioural insight team last October. The unit was charged with introducing nudge to the "big society" or, as the coalition agreement puts it, "finding intelligent ways to encourage people to make better choices for themselves".
Nudge is a theory that says government can deliver its policy objectives by 'nudging' people into doing what government considers to be the right thing using an alternative set of interventions, instead of just mandating, banning or taxing things.
The Big Society is a theory that says that people can support each other without the need for government support and intervention.
Just what on earth are these two concepts doing together? One is a recipe for more government, the other for less. They're really nothing to do with each other.
The trouble is that, in true Cameron style, the "Big Society" is defined so as to mean all things to all men. It could be read as working towards smaller government (yay) but then he adds cobblers like this:
"This, then, is our new role for the state. Galvanising, catalysing, prompting, encouraging and agitating for community engagement and social renewal. It must help families, individuals, charities and communities come together to solve problems. We must use the state to remake society. We must use the state to help stimulate social action." http://www.conservatives.com/News/Speeches/2009/1...
Now put yourself in the mind of a statist and see how upset you won't be by that!
Ah, so it\'s all part of his ongoing programme to detoxify the Tory brand by talking complete bollocks.