In considering the impact of austerity, much attention has been focused on the immediate effects of public spending cuts and on documenting the resulting increase in hardship and unmet needs. However, in calculating the consequences of austerity for the welfare state, it is its enduring legacy that is equally important. This article examines the proposition that the indirect effects of austerity on social, economic and political relations are as significant for the welfare of future generations as the ‘decade of austerity’ has been for contemporary welfare. The analysis draws on the approach adopted by Paul Wilding (1992) reflecting on the 1980s as the ‘decade of Thatcherism’. Wilding’s ten legacies are recategorised across four dimensions: normalising a non-commitment to welfare, societal scarring, refuelling the race to the bottom and diminishing the political capacity for change. The conclusions suggest that austerity will abide in the social and political relations of welfare long after austerity measures have ceased.

中文翻译：

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紧缩的遗产

在考虑紧缩的影响时，很多注意力都集中在公共支出削减的直接影响以及记录由此导致的困难增加和未满足的需求上。然而，在计算紧缩对福利国家的影响时，同样重要的是它的持久遗产。本文探讨了紧缩对社会、经济和政治关系的间接影响对后代的福祉的重要性，就像“紧缩十年”对当代福祉的重要性一样。该分析借鉴了 Paul Wilding (1992) 所采用的方法，将 1980 年代视为“撒切尔主义的十年”。威尔丁的十项遗产被重新分类为四个维度：对福利的不承诺正常化、社会伤痕累累、助长了逐底竞争并削弱了变革的政治能力。结论表明，在紧缩措施停止后很长时间，紧缩政策仍将存在于福利的社会和政治关系中。