Golden age of the welfare state (1945 – 1979) |
The scope and scale of the welfare state expanded under governments of both main parties |
The Beveridge report which aimed to combat the 5 evils facing society (want, ignorance, disease, squalor and idleness) |
Conservative government (1979 – 1997) |
The level of benefits was reduced, and the availability of many welfare payments was restricted. The level of taxation was also lowered in an attempt to reduce the role of the state. |
The New Right argued that the welfare state created a dependency culture in which welfare claimants had little incentive to return to work. The New Right had a major impact upon the Conservative governments of the 80s and 90s |
Labour government since 1997 |
Taxation has been raised in order to fund an increase in the level of public expenditure. Benefits have also been targeted towards those who are less able to provide for themselves; such as pensioners and children. |
An ideology called the Third Way. The most prominent sociologist associated with the Third Way is Anthony Giddens. |
