Moral Panic and Neo-Liberalism: The Case of Single Mothers on Welfare in Israel

Posted: 15 Dec 2008

See all articles by Mimi Ajzenstadt

Mimi Ajzenstadt

Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Faculty of Law; Ono Academic College

Date Written: January 2009

Abstract

The paper analyses a moral panic mobilized by the Israeli government, targeting single mothers who protested against a new economic plan that led to dramatic cuts in their welfare benefits. The moral panic occurred during a period of political and economic transition when Israel was moving toward a market-oriented mode of government. By incorporating issues concerning new modes of penal rationalities and practices into the analysis of the dynamics of moral panics, the paper shows that the Israeli campaign was shaped and supported by ideologies and beliefs central to the working of the political economy of neo-liberalism. The analysis shows that the moral panic was similar to other moral scenarios in its external form, but not in its internal content, which was conditioned by the wider context of neo-liberal regime and its techniques of rules and governance.

Suggested Citation

Ajzenstadt, Mimi, Moral Panic and Neo-Liberalism: The Case of Single Mothers on Welfare in Israel (January 2009). The British Journal of Criminology, Vol. 49, Issue 1, pp. 68-87, 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1315135 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azn067

Mimi Ajzenstadt (Contact Author)

Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Faculty of Law ( email )

Mount Scopus
Mount Scopus, IL 91905
Israel

Ono Academic College

Tzahal Street 104
Kiryat Ono, 55000
Israel

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