Redefining citizenship: Making the temporal explicit

Lee Gregory

Chapter 6 in Time, Welfare and Society, 2026, pp 100-117 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Chapter 6 reconceptualises citizenship through time, arguing that dominant models are implicitly shaped by capitalist temporal norms emphasising work, productivity, and linear life‑course trajectories. It critiques how welfare reforms and new public management intensify conditionality and short-termism, marginalising care, deliberation, and non‑linear identities. The chapter examines emerging forms of “liquid” and digital citizenship and situates intergenerational justice as a core temporal dimension of democratic responsibility. Drawing on sustainable welfare debates, it highlights the need to embed long‑term stewardship and recognition of future generations within policy design. Ultimately, it advocates a shift towards temporal citizenship – one that values care, relationality, deliberation, and ecological responsibility alongside rights and duties – laying groundwork for temporal impact assessment and future-oriented welfare governance.

Keywords: Citizenship; Intergenerational justice; Temporal norms; Care; Deliberation; Stewardship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781800370807
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