Welfare Policy in Britain: The Road from 1945 (Contemporary History in Context Series)

The welfare state arouses controversy whether attention is focused on its recent past or future development. Leading experts in welfare history draw together the latest research in essays combining broad policy surveys and detailed case studies. The key questions are 'What is a welfare state?' and 'How can it best be analysed?'. The history of the British welfare state suggests that the traditional approach has been too narrow. Current policy should be informed by a greater sense of history. The Welfare State Arouses Controversy Whether Attention Is Focused On Its Recent Past Or Future Developments. Here, Leading Experts In The Field Draw Together The Latest Research In Order To Discover How The Welfare State Can Be Best Analysed. 1 Introduction: The Road From 1945 / Rodney Lowe 1 -- 2 Inequality, Redistribution And Living Standards In Britain Since 1945 / Paul Johnson 18 -- 3 Renegotiating The Boundaries: Risk And Responsibility In Personal Welfare Since 1945 / David Gladstone 34 -- 4 Voluntary Sector And The State In Twentieth Century Britain / Jane Lewis 52 -- 5 From 'problem Family' To 'underclass', 1945-95 / John Macnicol 69 -- 6 Democratic Socialism And Equality / Lord Plant 94 -- 7 National Assistance Board And The 'rediscovery' Of Poverty / John Veit-wilson 116 -- 8 Jack Jones, The Social Contract And Social Policy 1970-4 / Helen Fawcett 158 -- 9 Immigration And Economics: The Politics Of Race In The Postwar Period / Shamit Saggar 184 -- 10 Welfare State: From Beveridge To Borrie / Chris Pierson 208. Edited By Helen Fawcett And Rodney Lowe. In Association With Institute Of Contemporary British History. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "The welfare state arouses controversy whether attention is focused on its recent past or future development. This volume draws together the latest historical research to address two key sets of questions." "First, what is a welfare state and how can it best be analysed? Has analysis traditionally been too narrow? Should it be broadened to include, for instance, industrial relations, race and the philosophical debate over the definition of equality?" "Second, should not current policy be informed by a greater sense of history? The British welfare state was created because of the inability of the market in the 1930s to eradicate mass unemployment and poverty. Since the 1980s market forces have been reintroduced into centralised welfare provision because of the perceived failure of the state. Does policy have to turn full circle? Cannot constructive lessons be learnt from the past?"--BOOK JACKET Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction: The Road from 1945....Pages 1-17 Inequality, Redistribution and Living Standards in Britain since 1945....Pages 18-33 Renegotiating the Boundaries: Risk and Responsibility in Personal Welfare since 1945....Pages 34-51 The Voluntary Sector and the State in Twentieth Century Britain....Pages 52-68 From ‘Problem Family’ to ‘Underclass’, 1945–95....Pages 69-93 Democratic Socialism and Equality....Pages 94-115 The National Assistance Board and the ‘Rediscovery’ of Poverty....Pages 116-157 Jack Jones, the Social Contract and Social Policy 1970–4....Pages 158-183 Immigration and Economics: The Politics of Race in the Postwar Period....Pages 184-207 The Welfare State: from Beveridge to Borrie....Pages 208-224 Back Matter....Pages 225-226 "In October 1962 the world went to the brink of Armageddon. This study provides an archive-based account of the Cuban missile crisis from the British perspective. The diplomatic, military and intelligence dimensions of British policy are scrutinised. New material is presented and existing interpretations of UK-US relations at this crucial moment are reassessed. The book contributes a new aspect to the literature on the Cuban missile crisis by exploring where the views of Washington and its closest ally converged and diverged."--BOOK JACKET. "The essays collected here explore the popular press since 1896 - from Harmsworth's Daily Mail to Maxwell's Mirror. The history of the popular press has always been about more than big headlines and big profit margins. Personal ambition, partisan loyalty, institutional rivalry, and public accountability join commercial opportunism as the book's recurrent themes."--Jacket The essays in this collection explore the popular press from Harmsworth's Daily Mail to Maxwell's Mirror. Topics include: early dealings with the BBC; the role of photojournalism; the contribution of Reuters; and the roots of financial journalism