In the late 19th century, the poverty dominating Britain’s inner cities became apparent and led to fears of the re-emergence of pauperism. The ‘poor laws’ and laissez fair systems in place understood poverty as being of personal fault and blaming the individual, it had become apparent that this was not the case, social welfare was a national issue that required national solutions, further welfare provision including large state provision led to the creation of the welfare state, it was only in the 1940’s that the British welfare state took its ‘classic’ form. The welfare state is defined as ‘Societies in which a substantial part of the production of welfare is paid for and provided by the government’ (Baldock et al. 2011, p22), this shows that …show more content…
Richard Austin Butler (known as RA Butler), took a piece of legislation through to parliament, Butler accepted the green paper proposals which led to the 1944 Education Act. This act can be classed as a key feature of the classic welfare state as it introduced the tripartite system of secondary education and also made all schooling free for pupils, the new system based on the eleven plus exam helped many able working class children get into higher education, providing them with opportunities that had not been available to them earlier on. The act also renamed the board of education to the ministry of education, giving it greater power and an increase in budget, increasing the amount that could be spent on education; moreover it offered community college, thus providing education for both children and adults. By 1947 over 5.5 million children were in maintained schools, by 1967 it increased to 9.1million and the number of teachers had doubled, in spite of all of this the numbers were still very low and the school leaving age wasn’t increased to 16 until 1972. In my view this shows that the new education act was effective as it provided …show more content…
Beveridge set out the basis of the national insurance legislation of the post war labour government, ‘The whole employed population was covered, not just manual workers or those on lower incomes, as in the pre-war national insurance scheme.’ (Clarke & Books 2004, p.221), this shows how the national insurance act 1945 is a key feature as it provided up to 6 months’ pay for the unemployed and sick pay for as long as it took, it was able to establish a ‘safe guard’ for the insured person that covered them in the widest of areas including injury at work (national insurance – industrial injuries act 1946), sickness, unemployment, old age and death in the form of a widows pension. The welfare system was also able to help those without work through the National assistance act which came into place in 1948, this was able to provide benefits for those who were unemployed or fell through the cracks, it was described by ‘The Times’ as ‘the last defence against extreme poverty’; the issue with this act is that it what not given to people as a
The history of welfare systems dates back to ancient China and Rome, some of the first institutions known to have established some form of a welfare system. In both of these nations, their governments created projects to provide food and aid to poor, unemployed, or unable families and individuals, however these were based on “moral responsibility.” Later in history, in 1500’s England, parliament passed laws that held the monarchy responsible for providing assistance to needy families by providing jobs and financial aid. These became known as “poor laws” (Issitt).
Linda Gordon's article is thoughtful, insightful and highly relevant. As governments slash poverty relief programs at all levels and as welfare-bashing reaches an all-time high, it is instructive to take a step back and look at how the current system developed.
William Edward Forster drafted the Education Act of 1870 after the government decided to educate the citizens of the country and because England feared that they lacked an effective education system (Docstoc-documents). This act was also known as the Elementary Education Act and it was a culmination of a long struggle (thirty years) to establish an effective and nationwide education schooling system for children ages 5 to 12 (Looking at History). Jackson wrote, “Forster did not go to school until he was thirteen, he was taught by his mother” (16) could be the reason why he started the Education Act. Therefore W.E. Forster contributed in creating school boards for England, and the country would be divided into about 2,500 school districts (Spartacus Educational). Like W.E. Forster stated in his speech, there are two primary objects in this bill t...
...tion. By 1985, the scheme catered for some 6,000 students per year. This is clearly a policy that helped to improve class equality, as placements at top schools were based on reward and merit, rather on finance, something which the working class lack.
As stated by the author, the “Principle of less eligibility,” meant that those receiving public assistance “should be worse than that of the lowest paid self-supporting laborer.” In a sense this meant if a person dug ditches or scooped human waste for a living, the situation of a public assistance recipient should be much worse. The author points out that in 1834, when the “Poor Law Reform Bill,” passed it enforced the negative attitudes about poverty. Essentially, if someone was poor it was viewed as their fault. Services should never lift a recipient out of poverty, but just provide meager assistance in a stigmatizing way. The author describes how impoverished individuals in England during the mid-1800’s, were viewed in negative, criminal ways if they received assistance. Furthermore, those described as “able bodied and on assistance were particularly maligned in the court of public opinion. Many of the homeless and
The essay will commence by focusing on the1944 Education Act, as it was "the most important piece of educational legislation since 1902" (Gosden, 1983:3). There was a great need for this Act, because the Second World War caused considerable disruption to the educational system. As Dunford and Sharp point out, "evacuation, staff shortages and suspension of building programmes all created their own problems. War also brought important changes in social attitudes, and [...] there was a determination for a better future" (Dunford and Sharp, 1990:17). Therefore there was a need to remodel the current education system "in order to ensure that every child would go to a secondary school" (Gosden, 1983:1). Planning for reconstruction of education culminated in the Education Act of 1944, which is also known as the Butler Act.
"National Insurance Could Prove Disastrous. (Cover story)." USA Today Magazine 133.2719 (2005): 1-2. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
...r over six-teen years. In this journal entry addressed to her peers and other economists, she examines the Social Security Act’s absent proposals such as Employment Assurance and other work relief programs, none of which made it to the Social Security Act. The journal covers the work relief programs of the 1930s and determines that they can provide suggestions for progressive alternatives to current proposals of today, which could help regain control of the welfare reform agenda.
The morality of social welfare systems, or the morality of crafting laws to aid American citizens in poverty, is a subject that (like myriad ethical issues) is hotly debated to say the least. For example, some opponents of social welfare institutions maintain the view that such programs "increase the reward or reduce the penalties" of poverty; thereby ostensibly making an impoverished state appealing even to people who might initially have been motivated to earn a living by conventional means. In other words, welfare programs (according to opponents) encourage otherwise productive individuals to embrace laziness, for basic human needs would be met by such institutions, eliminating the need to work at all. Those opposed to social welfare plans have also been known to claim that an "unfair burden is placed upon workers who must pay for the system." When one considers the above opposing views, it would then stand to reason that proponents of social welfare programs might maintain that it is the moral responsibility of working citizens to provide assistance and funding for programs such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children, the Food Stamp program, or the like. This supposition is confirmed upon examination of the notion that, when basic human needs such as "food, housing, and medical care" are not met, one is consequently rendered unable to uphold any level of social freedom. Given the above information, one can safely deduce that modern supporters of social welfare organizations are under the impression that such programs provide the impoverished masses with the means by which to obtain the level of general well-being vital to acquiring work in the first place.
Fraser, D. (2003) 3rd Ed. The Evolution of the British Welfare State. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Stitt, S. (1994) Poverty and Poor Relief: Concepts and Reality.
Employee health benefit plans flourished in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Unions bargained for better benefits, which included tax-free, employer-paid health insurance. When war hit between 1939 and 1945, government froze wages which led to an increase of group health care. Since employers were unable to attract employees with higher wages, employers decided to improve their benefits package by adding health care coverage. Gove...
The notion of overseeing welfare wasn’t always the case in the UK. Before this the ‘Poor Law’ was operated. (1598-1948) This consisted on a basis that the poor amongst society were essentially a problem of their own making and in turn needed to be punished because of this. ‘Those without jobs were lazy, feckless or in some other way delinquent’ (Coats: 34: 2012) Welfare was deemed to be a privilege, a goodwill gesture from the rich to the poor. Harsh living conditions and the punishments were seen as motivation for the poor to strive to improve their own lives.
The prospect of the welfare state in America appears to be bleak and almost useless for many citizens who live below the poverty line. Katz’s description of the welfare state as a system that is “partly public, partly private, partly mixed; incomplete and still not universal; defeating its own objectives” whereas has demonstrates how it has become this way by outlining the history of the welfare state which is shown that it has been produced in layers. The recent outcomes that Katz writes about is the Clinton reform in 1996 where benefits are limited to a period of two years and no one is allowed to collect for more than five years in their lifetime unless they are exempted. A person may only receive an exemption on the grounds of hardship in which states are limited to granting a maximum of 20% of the recipient population. The logic behind this drastic measure was to ensure that recipients would not become dependent upon relief and would encourage them to seek out any form of employment as quickly as possible. State officials have laid claim to this innovation as a strategy that would “save millions of children from poverty.” However, state officials predict otherwise such as an increase in homelessness, a flooding of low-waged workers in the labour market, and decreased purchasing power which means less income from tax collections. The outcomes of this reform appear to be bleak for many Americans who reside below the poverty line. How does a wealthy country like America have such weak welfare system? Drawing upon Katz, I argue that the development of the semi-welfare state is a result of the state taking measures to ensure that the people do not perceive relief as a right and to avoid exploiting the shortfalls of capitalism ...
Residual view of social welfare as being inconsistent with society’s obligation to provide long- term assistance to those who have long-term health, welfare, social and recreational needs. Residual view of social welfare is essentially seen as being in place purely for the poorer in society, providing a safety net for those otherwise unable to cope financially.
1.Based on the Midgley and Social Welfare Concepts (power point) write a brief definition of social welfare policy that makes sense to you at this point. Distinguish between the Institutional and Residual Models, and universal and selective programs, providing definitions and examples of each.