Who receives welfare support, and for what?

Abstract

The previous chapter presented the broader debate around welfare (its definition and justification), which led to a discussion about human/social rights. It was suggested that the content of social rights was defined in terms of what people need to secure their welfare. We can therefore appreciate that social rights are central to welfare debates, justifying state intervention. We now need to consider how these rights are constructed to not only facilitate access to welfare support but also define the forms of support to which we are entitled – and who has that entitlement. We start by exploring the concept of needs. How we define a need is a point of significant debate; without a concept of need, it is not possible to identify what is lacking from people’s lives and causing harm. Also, are needs universal or relative to the society in which people live? Either way, the concept of equality becomes important to consider, for this reflects how people are treated in relation to their welfare and subsequent needs. Alongside need and equality, citizenship forms the third aspect of entitlement to welfare support. This final concept encapsulates in policy debates the notions of need and social rights, alongside the implicit assumption of equal treatment. Figure 3.1 depicts the ‘entitlement triangle’ of needs, equality and citizenship. These three concepts are key to determining welfare in a practical sense to guide social policy interventions. Using the idea of a triangle allows us to grasp the relevance of the three concepts: each point underpins our concept of welfare.