Welfare and Ideology by Vic George and Paul Wilding
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document in English
social sciences
book review
published 28/02/2007
review : Completed
level : Advanced
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SummaryPolitical debates are often driven by what we call ideology. Nowadays we refer to ideology as a set of values and beliefs which influence individuals, politics, groups or even societies as a whole. The “critique of existing socio-economic systems, […] a view of the world, […] a vision of the future and […] guidance to their adherents” are the main features of political ideologies, Jones says.1 These features will be the framework of our essay to determine what the link between ideology and welfare is and how each ideology influences social policies.
Indeed, like every subject in social sciences, social policies have something to do with ideologies. Whereas the United States of America has moved towards a limited welfare state in which the well-being is linked to a rapid economic growth and to the market, the Nordic countries have emphasized the role of the state.
These political orientations derive from ideology: Ideology of the New Right for the USA and Ideology of Democratic Socialism for Nordic countries. George and Wilding have chosen six ideologies according to their historical strength, pervasiveness and cohesiveness: The New Right, the Middle Way, Democratic Socialism, Marxism,Feminism and Greenism.
These ideologies are obviously different from one another but they may notice the same problem and then define it in different ways. Ideologies are both
prescriptive and explanatory. Historically, ideologies of welfare have been developed through a left-right spectrum, that is, a pro-state versus pro-market spectrum.
However, all ideologies cannot be gathered into that spectrum and we can observe the development of new ideologies which go beyond this spectrum thanks to new approaches of the problems (Feminism and Greenism) or thanks to a more practical approach (Middle Way). This pragmatic way seems to be the dominant one nowadays. We will see, therefore, the development from a left-right political opinion to
these new forms of thinking and, as said above, how each one influences the development of the welfare state.
Table of Contents
- By virtue of its very theoretical nature, the Marxist point of view stresses the causes of the development of the welfare state but does not talk as much about the proper solutions to improve the welfare system
- Social services that Democratic Socialist theorists have in mind are different from those of the right wing
- The feminist and environmental movements made a 'rethinking' of previous theories possible
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