Deindustrialization and the moral economy of the Scottish coalfields, 1947 to 1991

Phillips, J. (2013) Deindustrialization and the moral economy of the Scottish coalfields, 1947 to 1991. International Labor and Working-Class History, 84(1), pp. 99-115. (doi: 10.1017/S0147547913000264)

Abstract

The long-running deindustrialization in the Scottish coalfields, the consequence of political decisions, took place in three distinct periods analyzed here: “restructuring,” 1958–1967, when, in response to union activism, a large number of closures was offset by government and industry initiatives to provide or stimulate alternative employment; “stabilization,” 1968–1977, when closures were minimized as the broader industrial economy slowed; and then “accelerated contraction,” 1978–1987, within the larger program of economic restructuring engineered by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative UK governments. Moral economy arguments shaped the debate about deindustrialization in the first two phases: closures were legitimate only where agreed to by the workforce, who would in turn receive guaranteed economic security. These factors did not apply in the final phase, when closures were enforced and redundant miners had limited employment alternatives.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Phillips, Professor Jim
• Authors: Phillips, J.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Economic and Social History
• Journal Name: International Labor and Working-Class History
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• ISSN: 0147-5479
• ISSN (Online): 1471-6445
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2013 International Labor and Working-Class History, Inc.
• First Published: First published in International Labor and Working-Class History 84(1):99-115
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher