The Idea of Austerity in British Politics, 2003–2013

Abstract

Employing a dataset of 1,843 think tank publications containing 37 million words, Computer-assisted

The Spread and Domestication of the Term “Austerity:” Evidence from the Portuguese and Spanish Parliaments

“…This might refer to different things, such as adopting a debt reduction package based on tax increases, or adopting spending restraints on social programs (de Rugy ). In fact, many scholars suggest different interpretations of what defines austerity (see Anstead ; Blyth ; Bramall ; Lanchester ), which makes it evident that there is no clear consensus on its meanings, definition, and scope (see also Anderson and Minneman ).…”

“…However, many scholars point out that austerity obtains predominance in politics even in countries that do not have a right‐wing government (Jabko ). In addition, Anstead () suggests that the polarization between the pro‐austerity right and anti‐austerity left is not so neat.…”

“…Previous research has suggested that ideas are important to explaining new events such as crises (Blyth ; Schmidt ). But new events can also reformulate ideas (Anstead ). The interest in ideas, however, remains contingent upon their impact and receptivity in a given situation (Kingdon ).…”

“…In ideational theory, scholars also stress that crises give rise to new ideas due to a different and unstable situation, laying foundations for their emergence (Anstead ; Baker and Underhill ). As Blyth () observes, ideational change is a consequence of the dynamism needed for rational information updating, learning, and error correction.…”

Will Brazil Follow the Japanese Educational Reforms and Cut the Funding for Research in Humanities? Possibilities and Psycho-political Implications

“…But the real objectives of such measures are to improve production and to cut social spending in order to reduce the amount of taxes paid by the economic elites [34]. Austerity is, in fact, one of the pillars of the neoliberal economic policies [35].…”