The Six Dimensions of New Labour: Structures, Strategies, and Languages of Neoliberal Legitimacy

This paper explores New Labour's emerging political economy using Jessop's (1991) six dimensions of the state as a heuristic device. In pointing towards the contextualised and institutionalised nature of socio-political action, the six dimensions of the state model is posited as a means of unravelling the constitution and ordering of the state within contemporary society. Specifically, the paper focuses on the potential of the six dimension model to frame analysis of the strategic use of language in contemporary governance. This is illustrated through the model's application to New Labour's political regime as manifested in key government practices and policies, and the extension of the model to include analysis of the linguistic representation of the shift from a Keynesian Welfare National State to a Schumpeterian Workfare Post-National Regime.