Dr Ben Jackson
BA MA DPhil
Lecturer (CUF) in Modern History
Email: benjamin.jackson@univ.ox.ac.uk
Research Interests
Ben Jackson works on modern British history, with particular interests in political thought, labour history, and the history of social and economic policy. His current research focuses on the history of neo-liberalism, especially the international development of neo-liberal political and economic ideas between the 1930s and the 1960s. He is also interested in the reception of these ideas in British politics in the 1960s and 1970s. He continues to build on his earlier work on the political thought of the British Left, and is currently writing about the influence of socialism on the new liberals.
Supervision Interests
Twentieth century British politics; the history of political thought since c. 1800, particularly projects that relate to his research interests.
Selected Publications:
- 'The Uses of Utilitarianism: Social Justice, Welfare Economics and British Socialism, 1931-48', History of Political Thought. Vol 25(3) (2004) pp. 508-535
- 'Revisionism Reconsidered: 'Property-Owning Democracy' and Egalitarian Strategy in Post-War Britain', Twentieth Century British History. Vol 16(4) (2005) pp. 416-440
- 'The Conceptual History of Social Justice', Political Studies Review. Vol 3 (2005) pp. 356-73
- Equality and the British Left: A Study in Progressive Political Thought, 1900-64. (Manchester, 2007) 259 pp.
- 'Social Democracy' in The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 2nd Edition. (London, 2008)
- 'How to Talk About Redistribution: A Historical Perspective' in History and Policy. (http://www.historyandpolicy.org/papers/policy-paper-76.html, 2008)
- 'The Rhetoric of Redistribution' in In Search of Social Democracy: Responses to Crisis and Modernisation. (Manchester, 2009) pp. 233-51
- (ed.) 'Learning From the Rise of the Free Market Right', Special Issue of Renewal . Vol 17(4) (2009)
- 'At the Origins of Neo-Liberalism: The Free Economy and the Strong State 1930-47', Historical Journal. Vol 53(1) (2010) pp. 129-151
- 'We Are All Social Democrats Now' in We Mean Power: Ideas for the Future of the Left. (London, 2010) pp. 49-60
Future Publications:
- 'An Ideology of Class: Neo-Liberalism and the Trade Unions, c. 1930-79' in Cultures, Classes and Politics: Essays for Ross McKibbin. (Oxford, 2011)
- 'Property-Owning Democracy: A Short History' in Property-Owning Democracy: Rawls and Beyond. (Oxford, 2011)
Research Interests and Activities
Selected Links to External Websites
