Ideology and Social Policy
Ideology, Social Policy and the Welfare State.
Liberalism it could be argued was born out of the opportunity for the individual to prosper unfettered by the constraints of feudalist class structure. As the industrial revolution changed the demographic face of society, principles of laissez-faire provided, in theory, the possibility that as all men are innately equal, so was their opportunity to satisfy the basic human need for material gratification. The rationale of meritocracy was aligned with the idea of equality of opportunity but considered that intervention with social policy hindered fair redistribution of resources which occurred most effectively when left to the forces of the free market. The Utilitarian school of thought was structured around the central belief that a functional society should strive to provide the greatest happiness for the greatest number of its citizens. It proposed the idea that free trade stimulated economic growth which was symbiotic with high employment and that this in turn would create ever increasing markets for producers and manufacturers. Therefore it could be considered that early liberal thinking was centered round the idea of perpetual economic motion, as it was assumed that everyone from the entrepreneurs to the unskilled labourer would benefit from unrestricted markets. The Utilitarian response to the poverty and deprivation caused by industrialisation and urbanisation could be seen as a reflection of the moral or ethical character of the age where poverty was considered to be caused by the idleness of the poor. (Heywood 2012, Ch-2) The Poor Law Reform Act 1834 was a significant piece of legislation in the history of welfare and social policy and goes some way to reflecting this view. However regardless of the perceived injustice by modern standards, Crowther (1981) points out that often a pauper would be materially better off in the workhouse with the biggest imposition being the curtailment of his independence. The
Liberalism it could be argued was born out of the opportunity for the individual to prosper unfettered by the constraints of feudalist class structure. As the industrial revolution changed the demographic face of society, principles of laissez-faire provided, in theory, the possibility that as all men are innately equal, so was their opportunity to satisfy the basic human need for material gratification. The rationale of meritocracy was aligned with the idea of equality of opportunity but considered that intervention with social policy hindered fair redistribution of resources which occurred most effectively when left to the forces of the free market. The Utilitarian school of thought was structured around the central belief that a functional society should strive to provide the greatest happiness for the greatest number of its citizens. It proposed the idea that free trade stimulated economic growth which was symbiotic with high employment and that this in turn would create ever increasing markets for producers and manufacturers. Therefore it could be considered that early liberal thinking was centered round the idea of perpetual economic motion, as it was assumed that everyone from the entrepreneurs to the unskilled labourer would benefit from unrestricted markets. The Utilitarian response to the poverty and deprivation caused by industrialisation and urbanisation could be seen as a reflection of the moral or ethical character of the age where poverty was considered to be caused by the idleness of the poor. (Heywood 2012, Ch-2) The Poor Law Reform Act 1834 was a significant piece of legislation in the history of welfare and social policy and goes some way to reflecting this view. However regardless of the perceived injustice by modern standards, Crowther (1981) points out that often a pauper would be materially better off in the workhouse with the biggest imposition being the curtailment of his independence. The