Alasdair Stewart

Althusser's Structuralism and a Theory of Class

Structural Marxism avoids many of the reductionist tendencies within Marxism. However, its lack of a theory of class means that it can be viewed as a form of ‘mechanism’. A reinterpretation of structural Marxism and Sartre in light of a subject/object dialectic creates a synthesis of the two. The synthesis shows how structural Marxism gives classes their form but does not completely determine their function. Sartres work provides a better understanding of function. Finally, the synthesi also managed to overcome problems within Poulantzass theory of class at the state level, which was based on an incorrect assumption that there is a direct link between economic and political actors.

Welfare conditionality and disabled people in the UK: claimants' perspectives

In order to fully understand the impact of the extension of conditionality in the UK to include people with impairments, it is vital to give voice to those with direct experience of the welfare system. The case studies that follow are taken from interviews carried out as part of a project called Welfare Conditionality: Sanctions, Support and Behaviour Change. This is a major five-year programme of research running from 2013-2018, funded under the Economic and Social Research Council’s Centres and Large Grants Scheme (ESRC grant ES/K002163/2).