Devolution, multicultural citizenship and race equality: From laissez-faire to nationally responsible policies
- 1 August 2006
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Critical Social Policy
- Vol. 26 (3), 498-522
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0261018306065606
Abstract
The devolved nations of the UK have been constituted on the basis of the ambition to increase inclusiveness and democratic involvement, underpinned by specific equality duties. As such they represent a critical point of reference for ethnic minorities in securing recognition, rights and representation in core social policy fields that shape their lived experiences of welfare. These newly established policy territories offer a testbed for tracking the development of multicultural citizenship and race equality and for assessing the extent to which the social policy of the constituent nations is responsive to the needs of ethnic minorities. This paper explores these concerns within the context of Welsh and Scottish devolution. Drawing on a range of research data it argues that devolution represents a significant shift from a laissez-faire politics of race to an agenda of nationally responsible policies but this trajectory raises not only a number of questions about the nature, extent and impact of minority inclusion within the nations but encroaches on issues of racialized welfare identities and rights within the wider hegemony of British multicultural citizenship.Keywords
This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit:
- Chasing the dragon? Devolution and the ambiguities of civil society in WalesCritical Social Policy, 2006
- The third sector in a devolved Scotland: From policy to evidenceCritical Social Policy, 2006
- Pride politics and multiculturalist citizenshipEthnic and Racial Studies, 2005
- Manufactured Civil Society: Counting the CostCritical Social Policy, 2004
- Protest or Partnership? The Voluntary and Community Sectors in the Policy ProcessSocial Policy & Administration, 2004
- Mainstreaming: Northern Ireland's participative-democratic approachPolicy & Politics, 2004
- The post-devolution equality agenda: the case of the Welsh Assembly's statutory duty to promote equality of opportunityPolicy & Politics, 2004
- Beyond Place: Ethnicity/Race in the Debate on Social Exclusion/Inclusion in ScotlandPolicy Futures in Education, 2003
- Institutional theories of immigrant ethnic mobilisation: Relevance and limitationsJournal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2000
- Local Governance and the Racialisation of Urban Policy in the UK: The Case of Urban Development CorporationsUrban Studies, 1996