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Sociology · Sociology Themes and Perspectives (Haralambos and Holborn)

Chapter 4 : Poverty, social exclusion and the welfare state

Table of contents70 sections
  1. 1.Poverty, social exclusion and the welfare state
  2. 2.Introduction
  3. 3.Key Terms
  4. 4.📌 Exam Tidbits
  5. 5.The definition and measurement of poverty
  6. 6.Absolute poverty
  7. 7.Budget standards and poverty
  8. 8.Relative poverty and deprivation
  9. 9.The minimum income standard
  10. 10.Official statistics on poverty
  11. 11.International comparisons
  12. 12.Key Terms
  13. 13.📌 Exam Tidbits
  14. 14.Social exclusion
  15. 15.The issue of social exclusion
  16. 16.Social exclusion, the underclass and poverty
  17. 17.Progressive and regressive views of social exclusion
  18. 18.Weak and strong definitions of social exclusion
  19. 19.Social exclusion: statistics and policies
  20. 20.The Joseph Rowntree Foundation monitoring poverty and social exclusion
  21. 21.Key Terms
  22. 22.📌 Exam Tidbits
  23. 23.The social distribution of poverty and social exclusion
  24. 24.Economic and family status and lone parenthood
  25. 25.Gender and poverty
  26. 26.Ethnicity and poverty
  27. 27.Disability
  28. 28.Key Terms
  29. 29.📌 Exam Tidbits
  30. 30.Individualistic and cultural theories of poverty and social exclusion
  31. 31.Individualistic theories
  32. 32.Neoliberalism and the culture of dependency
  33. 33.The culture of poverty
  34. 34.Situational constraints - an alternative to a culture of poverty
  35. 35.A culture of worklessness in Britain?
  36. 36.The underclass and poverty
  37. 37.Qualitative research on the underclass
  38. 38.Key Terms
  39. 39.📌 Exam Tidbits
  40. 40.Conflict theories of poverty and social exclusion
  41. 41.Poverty and the welfare state
  42. 42.Poverty, social exclusion, the labour market and power
  43. 43.Poverty and stratification
  44. 44.Tania Burchardt, Julian Le Grand and David Piachaud - an integrated framework for explaining social exclusion and poverty
  45. 45.Brian Barry - social exclusion, poverty and social justice
  46. 46.Key Terms
  47. 47.📌 Exam Tidbits
  48. 48.Policies on poverty and social exclusion
  49. 49.The culture of poverty and policies in the USA
  50. 50.Poverty and the expansion of welfare in Britain
  51. 51.Neoliberal solutions
  52. 52.Welfare and redistribution as solutions to poverty and social exclusion
  53. 53.Marxist solutions
  54. 54.New Labour - a hand up, not a hand-out
  55. 55.Key Terms
  56. 56.📌 Exam Tidbits
  57. 57.The welfare state
  58. 58.Types of welfare
  59. 59.Defining the welfare state
  60. 60.The origins of the welfare state in Britain
  61. 61.The Beveridge Report and the birth of the modern welfare state
  62. 62.Social democratic views on welfare
  63. 63.Marxist perspectives on the welfare state
  64. 64.Neoliberal perspectives on the welfare state
  65. 65.New Labour and the Third Way
  66. 66.Feminist perspectives on welfare
  67. 67.Summary and conclusions
  68. 68.Key Terms
  69. 69.📌 Exam Tidbits
  70. 70.Quick-Recall Box

Chapter preview

Poverty, social exclusion and the welfare state

Introduction

  • Poverty and social exclusion are viewed as undesirable states and social problems requiring intervention.
  • The welfare state consists of institutions designed to deal with these social problems.
  • Asa Briggs (2000, first published 1969) defines the welfare state as "a state in which organised power is deliberately used (through politics and administration) in an effort to modify the play of market forces".
  • Premise: Private enterprise fails to meet the social needs of citizens. → Logic: Governments intervene to modify market forces by providing services (health care, education, social housing, transport, social services) or redistributing resources via benefits. → Conclusion: The welfare state exists to meet these unmet social needs.
  • Aldridge et al. (2012) state: "No government can expect to do much about poverty if all it does is try to change the choices made by those who are poor while leaving unchanged the situation in which those choices are made."

Key Terms

ConceptDefinition
PovertyAn undesirable state and social problem implying a need for help to change the situation; often defined as a lack of material resources or multiple deprivations.
Social exclusionAn undesirable state and social problem where multiple deprivations prevent individuals from participating in important areas of society's activities.
Welfare stateInstitutions designed to deal with social problems such as poverty; defined by Asa Briggs (2000, first published 1969) as "a state in which organised power is deliberately used (through politics and administration) in an effort to modify the play of market forces".

📌 Exam Tidbits

  • Asa Briggs (2000 / 1969): Defined the welfare state as the deliberate use of organised power to modify market forces.
  • Aldridge et al. (2012): "No government can expect to do much about poverty if all it does is try to change the choices made by those who are poor while leaving unchanged the situation in which those choices are made."

The definition and measurement of poverty

  • Ruth Lister ( 2004 ) argues that definitions matter because they determine the…
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