The RSA Blog

The problem with entitlements

Blog

30 Dec 2011

Matthew Taylor

As regular readers may know, I have recently been exploring a concept I call ‘the paradox of entitlement’: in essence, state-backed social entitlements are a sign of progress but they are problematic and financially unsustainable if people treat them as mere entitlements.

‘…Like the corners of my mind’

Blog

28 Dec 2011

Matthew Taylor

I have always been proud of my present-receiving face. A few years ago three different people bought me Adrian Chiles’ book about West Brom fans (a book I had myself purchased on the day it was published). I was confident they all thought me delighted as I tore off the wrapping paper and exclaimed ‘ooh, I was just thinking of buying this’.

Defending rights from the right

Blog

27 Dec 2011

Matthew Taylor

Since first writing about it a few weeks ago I have found myself thinking more and more about what I called ‘the paradox of entitlement’. I have even allowed for the possibility this could be a strong enough topic for a book. But as anyone knows who reads this blog at all regularly, when is comes to sustained intellectual projects my reach far exceeds my grasp. As under-promising and over-delivering is as sound a strategy for life as it is for politics, I will for the time being restrict my ambition to a few more posts examining various facets of the paradox.

A results driven business?

Blog

24 Dec 2011

Matthew Taylor

More perhaps than at other times, during austerity the competing claims of principle and pragmatism often hang discomfortingly in the balance. In such circumstances there are no easy answers but we should try to be honest about dilemmas and invite thoughtful debate.

Looking for a dull woman

Blog

21 Dec 2011

Matthew Taylor

Although I like to think of my blog as being reasonably eclectic I have never ventured in to literary criticism. For one thing I don’t read that many novels. But, hey,  Christmas is a time to be playful, and a pattern in my recent reading has prompted some questions.

What to make of an afternoon

Blog

21 Dec 2011

Bringing nearly thirty social entrepreneurs supported by RSA Catalyst together with Fellows leading social enterprises and from social enterprise intermediaries meant that there were many opportunities for good things to happen…

Going through the levels

Blog

20 Dec 2011

Matthew Taylor

Yesterday I sat in on a conversation about social care involving about twenty people, mainly practitioners from Leicester. They were an impressive group; committed, thoughtful, optimistic about what could be achieved but very aware of the limitations of existing provision.

The Hope of Vaclav Havel, 1936-2011

Blog

19 Dec 2011

Jonathan Rowson

Obituary writers must be busy at the moment. I wanted to speak for the man in the middle of a recent obituary 'sandwich', caught between atheist icon and global intellectual Christopher Hitchens and North Korea's great leader, Kim Jong-Il who was immortalised by his puppet caricature in Team America.

Not local, not big, and not clever?

Blog

16 Dec 2011

Matthew Taylor

Two stories of unmet social need have featured in the news in the last 24 hours. First, there was David Cameron’s announcement of matched funding to tackle the problems of dysfunctional families. Second, there is today’s report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists highlighting failings in care for patients with dementia. One aspect of these stories is the apparent fading of two key Government principles; localism and the Big Society.