Introduction: A view from the bridge

Abstract

This introductory chapter describes the background to the proposal for an edited book on 'A Research Agenda for Social Welfare Law' which is to appear in the Elgar Research Agendas series, a new programme of short, analytical books that aims to map out the future direction of research in key areas. It explains the thinking behind the decision to expand the scope of social welfare to include social welfare policy and practice and describes how the contributors to the book were selected. It then makes clear that the overarching aim of the book is to use the specialised insights and experiences of those who work on aspects of social welfare law and policy to construct a post Brexit and post-Covid research agenda for social welfare law, policy and practice. The chapter then presents a schematic account of the history of social welfare in the UK, which is divided into four periods, and identifies two 'shocks to the system': Brexit, the Coronavirus Pandemic and three longer-term policy developments, namely devolution, outsourcing and digitalisation, which will ensure that the future of social welfare is not simply a continuation of the past.