Arguments for Welfare

A defence of the welfare state runs through this short, approachable book. Almost every developed country provides some kind of social protection and works to raise the social and economic wellbeing of its people, yet those services now face sustained challenge. Opponents call the welfare state illegitimate, insist that the market should handle these matters, and claim that receiving welfare harms recipients. The author suggests that the reasons for welfare need restating precisely because so many have come to doubt them.

The book sets out the case through chapters on the meaning of the welfare state, the moral basis of social policy, social responsibility, the limits of markets, public service provision, and the role of government. Drawing on examples from several countries, it explains why social welfare services ought to exist and shows how their guiding principles work in practice. Its central aim is to argue that the welfare state still matters to society.

The book is written as a primer for practitioners who want a grounding in the basics of social policy, and for students of social policy, social work, sociology and politics.