Changing Directions of the British Welfare State

Description

A unique and timely survey, by prominent academics and social campaigners, of the evolving priorities of the British welfare state, and the values which have underpinned it.
Introduction Gideon Calder, Jeremy Gass and Kirsten Merrill-Glover Part 1: The 'five giants' 1. Want | 'What the British people desire': the rise and fall of insurance-based social security Peter Kenway 2. Disease | Social democracy, health inequalities and the welfare state Michael Sullivan 3. Ignorance | Combating ignorance: education, social opportunity and citizenship in Wales Gareth Rees 4. Squalor | Shifting boundaries: people, homes and the state since 1945 John Puzey 5. Idleness | 'No longer a problem of industry': principles, practice and policy in the early 21st century David Byrne Part 2: Five challenges 6. Gender | Continuity and change: gender and welfare Sandra Shaw 7. Race | A very British welfare state? 'race' and racism Charlotte Williams 8. Disability | What rights for disabled people in a welfare state? Need-fulfilment versus identity-assertion and the 'problem of dependency' Steven R. Smith 9. Devolution | Devolution and the welfare state: the case of Wales Mark Drakeford 10. The Start and End of Life The welfare of children since 1948 Ian Butler The welfare of older people since 1948 Liz Lloyd Conclusions: Taking Stock Victoria Winckler

Sujets

• Social Science
• Sociologie, société et politique
• Reino Unido
• Sociology
• United Kingdom
• Great Britain
• Royaume-Uni

Informations

• Publié par: University of Wales Press
• Date de parution: 15 novembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780708325476
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Changing Directions of the British Welfare State

Edited by Gideon Calder, Jeremy Gass and Kirsten Merrill-Glover

University of Wales Press

Changing Directions of the British Welfare State

Changing Directions of the British Welfare State

Edited by Gideon Calder, Jeremy Gass and Kirsten MerrillGlover

UNIVERSITY OF WALES PRESS CARDIFF 2012

© The Contributors, 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the University of Wales Press, 10 Columbus Walk, Brigantine Place, Cardiff CF10 4UP.

www.uwp.co.uk

British Library CataloguinginPublication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978–0–7083–2546–9 eISBN 978–0–7083–2547–6

The right of the Contributors to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 79 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Typeset by Marie Doherty Printed in the UK by MPG Books Group Ltd

F O R E W O R D

Huw Edwards

I was delighted when approached by the University of Wales, Newport to write a foreword to this publication. The welfare state is something that the British public has always been proud of and, indeed, it has been the envy of other countries throughout the world. In 1942, William Beveridge (1879–1963) published his report on the way forward for Britain after the Second World War. Beveridge’s report identified five ‘giant evils’ that were prevalent at that time – Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness. These are addressed in the first part of the book. The year 1945 brought about a tre mendous change in government policy when Winston Churchill’s Conservative Party was defeated by a Labour Party headed by Clement Attlee. In 1948, Beveridge’s ‘welfare state’ was established with the key elements of social security; health; housing; education and social services (welfare and children). What a tremendous legacy for both Beveridge and Attlee, and, of course, Aneurin Bevan (minis ter of health at that time) who was tasked with the operational details. For more than sixty years you and I have benefited from living in a welfare state. In that period of time other challenges have evolved in areas such as gender, ethnicity, disability, devolution and the start and end of life. These are debated in the second part of this publication. Alongside this publication, the university organised a series of public lectures and debates, various film projects, and at the heart of the project was a website providing a forum for the sharing of views, perceptions and for critical debate. I am sure that this publication will provide an excellent reference on a wideranging and accessible set of reflections on the past, pre sent and future of welfare provision in Britain.

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

The editors would like to thank the contributors to this book for their commitment to it amid the usual array of hurdles and distractions – and some tricky personal challenges. We would also like to thank our colleagues on the Welfare State 2008 project, and all of those who contributed to its vibrancy in one way or another, via submissions to the website, contributions to events or encouraging it along in other ways. We owe particular gratitude to Matthew Evans for the energy he invested in the project during his time at the Community University of the Valleys (East), and to Scott Hazell for his invaluable work on the IT side. Gideon Calder dedicates his share of the book to the memory of his father Angus, who was born in the year of the Beveridge Report, died a month before the sixtieth anniversary of the National Health Service, and whose writings, in different ways and registers, echo many of this book’s concerns. Jeremy Gass dedicates his share of the book to Katrina, who was born in the year of the National Health Act, and their daughter Beth, one of ‘Thatcher’s children’, both of whom work in different ways for social justice and women’s rights. Kirsten MerrillGlover dedicates her share of the book to the memory of her brother Karl, a proponent and defender of welfare service provision, and to her sons Nye and Billy whose generation holds the future of the British welfare state.