Citizenship, claim-making, and the right to work: Britain, 1884–1911

Abstract

All systems of social welfare depend on classification, and John W. Mohr is right to say concerning welfare states that: "What is interesting is how alternative principles of classification are created, how they operate, and how they are transformed." 1 Precisely such a change occurred between 1908 and 1911 in Britain, as Liberal social reformers, academics, government officials, and Labour Party officials came together to create a new classificatory language and a new legal regime for a large section of the unemployed in the United Kingdom. Crucial to this change was the emergence of a demand for a "right to work." This article explores how the demand for a "right to work" emerged, and the manner in which it played a key role in reshaping British welfare classification. The appearance of new claims for rights is seen as a major indicator of changing political relationships.2 The willingness of governments and powerholders to negotiate over rights indicates a degree of acceptance for a claim-making group. But concessions always have a two-fold character. Recognition increases a group's institutional character and thus its resources, but it also forces a group to define its priorities more clearly and to clarify its identity. Any evaluation of the outcome of social conflict must take into account both aspects of successful claim making.