Choice and the Policy Agenda

Abstract

At the end of the 1990s, individual choice has moved to the top of the policy agenda. Many people have higher disposable incomes, working and family life are more flexible and governments wish to reduce state intervention and extend the role of markets. For some, cutbacks in public services, unemployment, benefit constraint and lower pay reduce the scope of palatable choice. Recent developments in social science have called the dominant framework in understanding economic decisions — in work, saving and spending — into question. This book reviews evidence from a range of settings on how far it is reasonable to see market choice as simply reflecting what people want. In this chapter we discuss the main reasons why choice has ascended the political agenda and review some recent developments in understanding how people make decisions.