Review

American imports

PERSPECTIVES ON WELFARE: ideas, ideologies and policy debates
Alan Deacon
Open University Press, 2002, £15.00

This is the fourth volume in the Introducing Social Policy series and is aimed at undergraduate social science students. It provides an introduction to the current welfare debates by looking at how these have developed in Britain and the US.

The first half of the book focuses on five perspectives, giving each its own chapter. Thus, welfare is analysed as an expression of altruism; as a channel for the pursuit of self-interest; as the exercise of authority; as a transition to work; and as a mechanism for moral regeneration.

The first chapter deals with the work of Richard Titmuss and his pioneering and dominating influence on a generation of academics and policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic. While praising his innovation, Deacon argues that it was the neglect by Titmuss’s followers of the issue of individual responsibility that has led to conservative domination of the policy debate in the past 20 years.

In the chapters devoted to the other four perspectives, Deacon contrasts the work of a variety of writers such as Etzioni, Murray, Ellwood, Mead and Frank Field. He looks in some depth, and with the clarity necessary for new students, at issues such as communitarianism, workfare, the underclass and even Christian socialism.

The second half of the book looks at some of the debates in greater depth. There is a chapter on welfare reform in the US in the 1990s – and references are made to show how US terminology has been absorbed into the British language of welfare reform. Deacon points out that the Clinton administration’s achievements, such as halving the number of people dependent on welfare benefits and increasing the proportion of single mothers in the workforce, have had a major influence on the present Labour government.

Not by coincidence, the next chapter looks at the welfare reforms of new Labour and the new politics of the so-called third way. Deacon’s fascinating description of new Labour policies and the philosophy behind them make uncomfortable reading for those on the old left.

Deacon concludes the book with graphics to illustrate how the various arguments relate to each other. The question-and-answer section will be an ideal basis for tackling essays. The glossary of terms is a welcome addition. I recommend this book to students and non-academics who wish to learn more about this vital subject.