Introduction to Social Security: Policies, Benefits and Poverty

✍ Scribed by John Ditch

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 239
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Social Security forms a major area of government policy and social expenditure. Government activity in this area impacts directly on all citizens, and consequently social security policy is the focus for much debate. People are affected by social security whether by funding it through taxation, or using it when claiming unemployment or other benefits. Introduction to Social Security is an up-to-date text on this important and complex social policy issue. It provides a second introduction for students of social policy and administration and includes contributions from some of the best known and most respected names in the field.

✦ Table of Contents

Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Title......Page 3
Copyright......Page 4
Dedication......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Illustrations......Page 11
Contributors......Page 12
Preface......Page 13
Abbreviations......Page 15
Introduction......Page 18
References......Page 24
Why is poverty important?......Page 26
The definition of poverty......Page 27
The measurement of poverty......Page 30
Spatial issues......Page 32
Poverty lines and poverty gaps......Page 33
Poverty in the UK......Page 34
How does poverty in Britain compare?......Page 39
Conclusion......Page 42
References......Page 43
Introduction......Page 48
The relief of poverty?......Page 49
Meeting needs......Page 51
Income maintenance and replacement......Page 52
Compensation......Page 53
Passive and active aims......Page 54
Getting people into work......Page 55
Changing behaviour......Page 56
Conclusion......Page 57
References......Page 58
What role for social security policy?......Page 60
People......Page 62
Principles......Page 63
The legacy of Beveridge......Page 64
People......Page 67
Principles......Page 68
Policy......Page 69
The drift to selectivity......Page 70
People......Page 72
Policy......Page 75
Privatisation and targeting......Page 76
People......Page 80
Policy......Page 81
References......Page 82
Why does adequacy matter?......Page 86
What is the income maintenance system?......Page 87
The context of adequacy......Page 88
Human needs......Page 91
Perspectives on poverty measures......Page 92
Time-scale......Page 94
Precariousness......Page 97
Stratification......Page 98
Ethnicity......Page 99
Adequate according to whom?......Page 100
Whose perspectives? Expertise......Page 101
Package deal thinking......Page 102
Government objectives......Page 103
Is social security adequate in the UK?......Page 104
Empirical surveys......Page 105
Official UK approaches to adequacy questions......Page 106
Conclusion......Page 107
Notes......Page 108
References......Page 110
The importance of pensions......Page 114
Structure......Page 115
Finance and private provision......Page 117
The evolution of pensions in Britain......Page 120
The post-war debate......Page 121
The pensions White Paper chase......Page 122
Pensions post-1979......Page 124
Problems and responses in the 1990s......Page 125
The case for change......Page 126
Pensioners’ incomes in the 1990s and future options......Page 128
Conclusion—another fresh start......Page 130
References......Page 132
Introduction......Page 136
The importance of take-up......Page 137
Measuring take-up......Page 140
Reasons for non-take-up......Page 143
The Kerr model......Page 144
The Ritchie and Matthews model......Page 145
The econometric approach......Page 146
Van Oorschot’s interactive model of multi-level influences......Page 147
Dynamic aspects of take-up......Page 150
Policy response and the way forward......Page 151
References......Page 152
7 Social security, poverty and disability......Page 156
Disability and the risk of poverty......Page 158
Employment and earnings......Page 159
The additional costs of disability......Page 160
The costs of personal assistance......Page 161
Income replacement benefits......Page 162
Recent developments......Page 164
Disability Working Allowance......Page 165
…Some You Lose? Restricting Invalidity Benefit......Page 166
The costs of caring......Page 167
Small change?......Page 168
Conclusion......Page 169
Notes......Page 170
References......Page 171
8 Social security and poverty......Page 174
Women, social security and the regulation of marriage......Page 175
Women, social security and poverty......Page 178
Social security, women’s paid work and the family wage......Page 181
Support for families with children......Page 184
Non-contributory benefits......Page 185
Lone motherhood......Page 188
The Child Support Act (1991)......Page 189
Social security reform and welfare regimes......Page 193
References......Page 195
Introduction......Page 200
Poverty and Black communities......Page 201
More likely to be poor?......Page 203
‘Race’ and social security provision: recent research findings......Page 205
‘Race’: the marginal dimension in research......Page 212
Conclusion......Page 213
References......Page 214
Introduction......Page 218
EU social security: an overview......Page 220
Development of EU social security policy......Page 222
References......Page 227
Index......Page 230