Inferior Politics: Social Problems and Social Policies in Eighteenth-Century Britain
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Author Description
Inferior Politics explores how social policy was created in Britain in a period when central government was not active in making it. Parliament proved capable of generating national legislation nonetheless-and provided a forum for debate even when it was impossible to mobilise consensus behind any particular plan. In this setting, there was a lively, and surprisingly inclusive, 'politics' of social policy-making, in which 'inferior' officers of government (what we might call 'local authorities') figured prominently. The book explores institutional structures which shaped these debates and their outcomes, and supplies several case studies of policy-making: one focussing on some of the less well-known activities of William Wilberforce, as he attempted to promote a national 'reformation of manners'; others featuring such apparently marginal figures as imprisoned debtors and a lowly (and bigoted) London constable. A central chapter explores the history of social and economic empirical enquiry from the invention of 'political arithmetic' in the later seventeenth century through to the first census of 1801, detailing similar interaction between government and private enthusiasts. Drawing together three decades of the author's work, including two new essays, Inferior Politics demonstrates how Joanna Innes has significantly revised and extended our understanding of the ways and means of British domestic government, in an era marked by institutional continuity but continuing and vigorously debated social challenges.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
How was social policy formulated in eighteenth-century Britain during an era characterized by limited central government intervention? Joanna Innes, a historian specializing in British domestic governance, examines the institutional mechanisms and local actors that drove legislative change. She argues that despite the absence of a proactive central state, a robust and inclusive political process emerged, driven by local authorities and private enthusiasts who shaped national policy through debate and empirical inquiry.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the role of Parliament as a forum for policy debate
- Case studies on the reformation of manners and the activities of local officers
- Historical overview of political arithmetic and the development of early census methods
- Examination of the interaction between government officials and private social reformers
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on domestic British governance rather than international or colonial policy
- It does not provide a comprehensive history of the British state, but rather focuses on specific social policy mechanisms
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars recognize this work as a significant synthesis of Innes's long-term research into the complexities of pre-modern British administration. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational text for those studying the evolution of social policy and governance in the eighteenth century.
Page Count:
383
Publication Date:
2009-01-01
Publisher:
OUP Oxford
ISBN-10:
0191606774
ISBN-13:
9780191606779
History
European History
Eighteenth Century
Social policy
Special Topics
British History
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