The Politics of Parenting: Editorial

This special issue addresses questions of how the practices of (welfare) state practitioners and policy makers (trans)form the lives of families. The aim is to illuminate how social policies and educational institutions influence parents’ hope for the wellbeing and future success of their children through new forms of audit culture and policies of early interventions. We invited contributions that explore how politicized ideals, norms and practices play out in the everyday lives of families as they are influenced by many-fold actors including officials regulating day-care, school, medical services, and child protection. What is at stake when distinguishing "good" from "bad" parenting practices and what are the specific (unintended) consequences for families of different social and ethnic backgrounds? How do parents themselves attempt to shape their children’s lives and how are their decisions and desires inspired and constrained by evaluative processes?