The Missing Child in Liberal Theory : Towards a Covenant Theory of Family, Community, Welfare and the Civic State / John O'Neill.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

O'Neill, John, 1933-2022, author.

Contributor:

Laidlaw Foundation, publisher.

Series:

Heritage

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Child welfare--Canada.

Child welfare.

Family policy--Canada.

Family policy.

Children--Government policy--Canada.

Children.

Canada.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 136 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Toronto : University of Toronto Press, [1994]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The Missing Child in Liberal Theory opens public discourse on what it is Canadians hold in common through their provision of civic assurances to children and families at risk. John O'Neill presents a strongly-worded critique of the dominant discourse of the market society. He observes the link between 'duty free' capitalism and minimal civic obligations. This book calls for a covenant society where civility and reciprocity are underwritten by a second generation concept of the Canadian welfare state that will not abandon children to disastrous prospects in a market society. Confronting the current call for a leaner and meaner response to global competitiveness, O'Neill challenges concepts of liberalism and communitarianism. In their place he proposes a covenant concept of state, community, and family assurances to derive from our common provision of a civic endowment that we undertake to sustain now and for future generations of Canadians. O'Neill argues that if Canada is to survive as a national community capable of responding to the global market, we must reaffirm the civic foundations of the state. If we fail to do this, we will not have a leaner society, only a meaner one. This society will be hostile to capitalism and socialism alike. If we can rededicate the Canadian commons to the well-being of the civic person, Canada will contribute a model of survival and governance among the nations of the twenty-first century.

Contents:

1. A Duty-free Society? Covenant versus Market Concept of Institutions. Covenant versus Market Life Chances. Civic Sustainability versus Global Risk. Canada's Civic Covenant

2. Children in the State of Nature: The Missing Link in Liberal Theory. The Game of Inequality. The Politics of Child Needs. The Risky Matrix

3. Reconceiving Family Foundations: Pro-Creation or Co-Creation? Family Covenant or Sexual Contract? The New Foundlings. Child Rights versus Child Covenant. Who Cares?

4. The Covenant of Care. Covenant and Code in Medical Care. Civic Vigilance and Urbanity

5. Three Reciprocity Lessons. A Covenant Critique of Rawls on Future Justice. Lesson One: The Norm of Reciprocity. Lesson Two: No Moral Strangers. Lesson Three: The Norm of Reciprocity within and between Generations

6. Life Chances within a Civic Commons. Children for Sale. Youth versus Elders. The Covenant of Taxation. Citizenship in the Civic State. The Canadian Commons.

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Jan 2019)

ISBN:

9781487586737

1487586736

9781487585853

1487585853

OCLC:

1048921704