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New hope or old futures in disguise? Neoliberalism, the Covid-19 pandemic and the possibility for social change

Daniel Briggs (Universidad Europea de Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, Spain)
Anthony Ellis (School of Health and Society, Salford University, Salford, UK)
Anthony Lloyd (Social Sciences, Business and Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK)
Luke Telford (School of Law, Policing and Forensics, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK)

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy

ISSN: 0144-333X

Article publication date: 22 October 2020

Issue publication date: 2 December 2020

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the implications of both the Covid-19 pandemic and UK lockdown for the social, political and economic future of the UK. Drawing on primary data obtained during the lockdown and the theoretical concepts of transcendental materialism and the “event”, the paper discusses the strength of participants' attachment to the “old normal” and their dreams of a “new normal”.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper utilises a semi-structured online survey (n = 305) with UK residents and Facebook forum debates collected during the lockdown period in the UK.

Findings

The findings in this paper suggest that while the lockdown suspended daily routines and provoked participants to reflect upon their consumption habits and the possibility of an alternative future, many of our respondents remained strongly attached to elements of pre-lockdown normality. Furthermore, the individual impetus for change was not matched by the structures and mechanisms holding up neoliberalism, as governments and commercial enterprises merely encouraged people to get back to the shops to spend.

Originality/value

The original contribution of this paper is the strength and depth of empirical data into the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically the lockdown. Additionally, the synthesis of empirical data with the novel theoretical framework of transcendental materialism presents an original and unique perspective on Covid-19.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all the participants of the research for the time they lent to complete the survey.Funding: The study was unfunded.

Citation

Briggs, D., Ellis, A., Lloyd, A. and Telford, L. (2020), "New hope or old futures in disguise? Neoliberalism, the Covid-19 pandemic and the possibility for social change", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 40 No. 9/10, pp. 831-848. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-07-2020-0268

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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