The welfare state is an important part of the British state politics since its
establishment and development. It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the modern
society processes like aging of population, rise of unemployment, declining financial
resources and their pressure over the welfare system structure. The rapid economic and
demographic changes after the Second World War are having a serious effect on the social
policy system of Britain. In recent years there has been an increasing interest among social
scientists in the examining and restructuring the welfare state system, particularly after the
conservative welfare state reforms of the 80’s. The issue of welfare retrenchment has been a
controversial and much disputed subject within the field of social policy. This paper will
focus on the question if further welfare state retrenchment is likely in the UK, critically
examining the politics of the National Health Service and the Politics concerning Disabled
People.
The first section of this paper will concentrate on the status of the welfare system in
the state and the main sources of influence for successful retrenchment policies. It will than
go on to the particular policy field of the Health services in the UK and outline its specific
position in the British welfare system. Finally, the essay will describe the special features in
the Disabled Politics in Britain and discuss if further welfare retrenchment in this area is
expectable.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- The Status of the Welfare State in the UK and the Sources of Influence for Successful Retrenchment Policies
- The Politics of the NHS
- The NHS as a Universal Program
- The Party Competition and the NHS Retrenchment
- The Case of the Conservative Government
- The Case of the New Labour Government
- The Politics concerning Disabled People
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines the likelihood of further welfare state retrenchment in the UK, focusing on the politics of the National Health Service and the politics concerning disabled people. It analyzes the structure of the state and the party system, the tactics of reformist governments, and the role of supporters and opponents in the context of welfare retrenchment. The key themes explored are:- The impact of economic and demographic changes on the welfare state
- The challenges posed by the welfare state to the free market economy
- The role of political parties in welfare state retrenchment
- The influence of external factors, such as globalization, on welfare state policies
- The case of the NHS as a universal program and its resistance to retrenchment
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first section of the paper discusses the status of the welfare state in the UK and the main sources of influence for successful retrenchment policies. It examines the impact of economic and demographic changes on the welfare state and explores the tension between the welfare state and the free market economy. The second section delves into the politics of the NHS. It explores the NHS as a unique universal program in the British welfare system and examines the role of political parties in its retrenchment. It focuses on the case of the Conservative government and its failed attempts to privatize the NHS, as well as the New Labour government's approach to the NHS and its continued reliance on private sector involvement.Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary keywords and focus topics of this paper are: welfare state retrenchment, National Health Service (NHS), politics, disabled people, party competition, free market economy, globalization, universal program, privatization, and political legitimacy. The paper explores these concepts in the context of the British welfare state and analyzes their influence on the likelihood of further retrenchment in the UK.- Citar trabajo
- MA Desislava Dimova (Autor), 2008, The european automobile industry lobby against the european emission politics, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/116754
