Conditional citizens? welfare rights and responsibilities in the late 1990s

Dwyer, PJ

Abstract

In Britain the relationship between welfare rights and responsibilities has undergone change. A new welfare 'consensus' that emphasizes a citizen ship centred on notions of duty rather than rights has been built. This has allowed the state to reduce its role as a provider of welfare and also defend a position in which the welfare rights of some citizens are increas ingly conditional on those individuals meeting compulsory responsibili ties or duties. This concentration on individual responsibility/duty has undermined the welfare rights of some of the poorest members of society. Three levels of debate are considered within the article: academic, pol itical and 'grassroots'. The latter is included in an attempt to allow some 'bottom up' views into what is largely a debate dominated by social sci entists and politicians.

Citation

Dwyer, P. (1998). Conditional citizens? welfare rights and responsibilities in the late 1990s. Critical Social Policy, 18(57), 493-517. https://doi.org/10.1177/026101839801805703

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 1998
• Deposit Date: Jan 17, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Journal: Critical Social Policy
• Print ISSN: 0261-0183
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 57
• Pages: 493-517
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/026101839801805703
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/026101839801805703