- Nanny state
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A nanny state is the perception of a situation characterised by governmental policies of over-protectionism, economic interventionism, or heavy regulation of economic, social or other nature.
The subjective term nanny state is typically used pejoratively, expressing an anxiety that these policies are being institutionalized as common practice. Opponents of such policies use the term in their advocacy against what they consider to be uninvited and damaging state intervention.
Contents
Background
The term nanny state was probably coined by the Conservative British MP Iain Macleod who referred to "what I like to call the nanny state" in his column "Quoodle" in the December 3, 1965, edition of The Spectator.[1]
Usage of the term varies by political context, but in general, 'nanny state' is used in reference to policies where the state is perceived as being excessive in its desire to protect (as a nanny would protect a child), govern or control particular aspects of society. Which particular aspects are considered to be excessively protected depends on usage. The term can refer to:
- Public health interventions such as disease surveillance, quarantines, mandatory or government-subsidized vaccination, food labeling regulations, school lunch programs.
- Consumer protectionism that enforces (or discourages) certain behaviors such as bicycle and motorcycle helmet laws, anti-smoking laws, speed limits on roads, bans on texting, and other laws seen by some as interfering in personal choices[citation needed] and/or personal privacy.
- Creation and enforcement of laws that prohibit victimless crimes, such as gun control, building codes, and prohibitions on drug prohibition, gambling, and prostitution,
- National economic and social policies (regulation and intervention) that affect large and state-favored businesses[citation needed]
- International trade policies that favor native corporate industries (protectionism).[citation needed]
For example, politically conservative or libertarian groups in the United States (especially those that support the free market and capitalism) object to some state action which protects people from the consequences of their actions by restricting citizen options.[clarification needed][citation needed]
Various uses of term
Some governance claimed to represent a nanny state are those that emerge from application of public health, risk management of health and safety policies. The European Commission has been criticised as acting like a nanny state by banning mercury in barometers as of June 2007.[2]
The British Labour Party politician Margaret Hodge is a defender of some so-called nanny state policies, saying at a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research on November 26 , 2004, that "some may call it the nanny state but I call it a force for good".[3]
Singapore
The city state of Singapore has a reputation as a nanny state, owing to the considerable number of government regulations and restrictions on its citizens' lives. Former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, the architect of the modern Singapore, observed, "If Singapore is a nanny state, then I am proud to have fostered one."[4]
United Kingdom
In 2004, King's Fund, an independent think tank, conducted a survey of more than 1,000 people and found that most favoured policies that combated behaviour such as eating a poor diet and public smoking.[5]
Initiatives created by individual organizations, especially schools, have sometimes been characterized by the British media as "nanny state" government policies from either the Westminster Parliament or the European Parliament: for example, the Health and Safety Executive describes the assertion they had banned conkers in schools as a classic myth;[6] and likewise, local government or business decisions, such as Great Somerford removing a swingset for exceeding EU height regulations by 20 inches (51 cm), have likewise been blamed as intervention by Brussels, although removal was not compulsory.[7]
See also
- Big government
- Welfare state
- Paternalism
- Social engineering (political science)
- Criticisms of welfare
- United Kingdom
Contrast:
References
- ^ Harsanyi, David. (2007) Nanny state: how food fascists, teetotaling do-gooders, priggish moralists, and other boneheaded bureaucrats are turning America into a nation of children. p 7 Random House, Inc. ISBN 0767924320
- ^ Banks, M.; Jones, G. (2007-07-06). "Barometer makers lose battle over mercury". London: Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/06/nmercury106.xml. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
- ^ "'Nanny state' minister under fire". BBC News. 2004-11-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4044815.stm.
- ^ http://www.straitstimes.com/Pioneers+Of+Singapore/Lee+Kuan+Yew/Quotes/Quotes.html
- ^ "UK public wants a 'nanny state'". BBC News. 2004-06-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3839447.stm. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ^ "Myth: Kids must wear goggles to play conkers". Health and Safety Executive. http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/september.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ "'Ridiculous' rules say swings too high". BBC News. 2003-01-21. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2679637.stm. Retrieved 2009-04-12. "EU edict, European Standard BS EN 11 76, states that swings must be no more than 9 ft 11 ins tall. The inspectors advised the council it would be good practice to remove the 'offending equipment', although it was not compulsory for them to do so."
Further reading
- David Harsanyi Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and other Boneheaded Bureaucrats are Turning America into a Nation of Children ISBN 0767924320 ISBN 978-0767924320
- 1 Pierre Rosanvallon, La nouvelle question sociale, Éd. du Seuil, 1995, p. 45
External links
Categories:- American political terms
- Forms of government
- Political terms
- Criticisms of welfare
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