Charity Isn’t Just, or Always Charitable: Exploring Charitable and Justice Models of Social Support

Abstract

Although there is a substantial literature base bringing to light the limits of the charitable model of support in meeting the (primarily food security) needs of individuals, there is a paucity of research that expressly delineates the key characteristics of this model, in juxtaposition to those of a rights-based justice model. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to outline the essential elements of the charitable and justice models of social support in order to consider more transformative and emancipatory approaches to social welfare. The charitable model of social support involves direct acts to alleviate human suffering; charity tackles the symptoms of social problems, not their root causes. The model, although rooted in compassion and generosity, creates an asymmetrical power differential between the giver and receiver. In contrast, the justice model focuses on systemic remedies to social problems by focusing on human rights and social change. Emphasis, here, is on reciprocity, mutuality, and human interdependence, premised on respect, dignity, and the belief in the intrinsic worth of all human beings. Rather than relying on the charitable model, which has an abundance of shortcomings, governments must be urged to fulfill their human rights obligations and provide robust income security programs (i.e., a basic income guarantee) to ensure a robust minimum income floor for all Canadians. Human rights tribunals have the authority to grant systemic remedies and hold governments to account to a rights-based justice model.