Rethinking time in policy processes

Lee Gregory

Chapter 7 in Time, Welfare and Society, 2026, pp 118-144 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Chapter 7 critiques the dominance of clock‑time logic in policy-making and welfare administration, arguing that speed, efficiency, and productivity obscure lived temporal experiences and deepen inequalities. It presents the temporal impact assessment (TIA) as a practical tool for evaluating how policies shape time use, temporal autonomy, recognition of diverse temporalities, and intergenerational impacts. By examining welfare conditionality, scheduling, sanction regimes, and performance metrics, the chapter shows how policies can generate temporal harms, crises, and lock‑ins. It draws on international innovations – from Wales’ Future Generations Act to shorter working hours reforms – to illustrate emerging forms of temporal governance. The chapter concludes by advocating reflective, slow, and justice‑oriented policy processes that prioritise wellbeing, autonomy, and sustainable futures over narrow efficiency metrics.

Keywords: Temporal impact assessment; Policy time; Governance; Intergenerational impacts; Conditionality; Slow policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781800370807
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