The New Paternalism

Abstract

“New paternalist” welfare programs are premised on the idea that service users lack certain capacities and require “supervisory” programs to guide them toward self-sufficiency. The author argues that the use of new paternalist programs is incompatible with what she claims to be a just state’s obligation to foster autonomy. This is best understood in light of a notion of paternalism as implicated in oppressive power relations rather than solely as interventionist policy. By examining workfare and pregnancy prevention programs, the author sheds light on underlying gendered assumptions about the relationship between the autonomous self and both paid employment and care work.