Welfare and Human Nature : The Human Subject in Twentieth-Century Social Politics

The subject of human nature has recently returned to the centre of welfare debate in Britain, with prime ministers, politicians and academics addressing the effects of social policy on individual character and morality. This book offers the first serious examination of ideas on human nature and motivation in twentieth century welfare. The subject of human nature has recently returned to the centre of welfare debates in Britain, with prime ministers, politicians and academics addressing the effects of social policy on individual character and morality. This book offers a serious examination of ideas about human nature and motivation in twentieth- century social policy, focusing specifically on social democratic, neo-liberal and mutualist ideas in mainstream welfare, and on Marxist and feminist alternatives. It pays close attention to the important reappraisal of welfare and human needs currently underway in each of these movements as they respond to the changes affecting global capitalism at the close of the twentieth century. The book attends to the renewed interest in human nature in Marxism and feminist thought - especially about mutual welfare, the struggle for recognition, and human need - and considers their contribution to revitalizing welfare thought and practice in the new century. Each chapter provides a systematic account of the human nature discourses of each intellectual movement, noting central ideas and tensions in each discourse and their influence on social policy Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-18 Front Matter....Pages 19-28 Social Democracy and Human Nature....Pages 29-46 Equality and Difference in the Postwar Years....Pages 47-73 Human Nature and the Right....Pages 74-102 Front Matter....Pages 103-104 Marx and Human Nature....Pages 105-117 Marxism, Human Nature and Need....Pages 118-138 Feminism, the Politics of Recognition and Social Policy....Pages 139-162 Conclusion....Pages 163-184 Back Matter....Pages 185-210