Why so Austere? The British Welfare State of the 1940s
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2116628 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jo Tomlinson (0000-0003-2206-3486, Government of Brunei Darussalam, corresponding author), Jim Tomlinson |
| Year | 1998 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 63-77 |
| Publication date | 1998-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Social Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-2794 • E-ISSN: 1469-7823 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0047279497005199 |
| OpenAlex | W2159704731 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 12 |
The reforms of the welfare system under the 1945 Labour government are usually regarded as fundamental in creating the post-war welfare state. Yet, measured by their financial implications, and viewed in comparison with either pre-war Britain or other Western European countries in the same period, these reforms appear strikingly limited. Far from bringing a 'New Jerusalem', the 1940s reforms seem to have brought into being an austere, minimalist structure of welfare provision. The reasons for this are examined, especially the forces shaping the new social security system. It is argued that the combination of the Labour government's economic priorities, its acceptance of the Beveridge legacy and the Treasury pressure to limit the Exchequer's financial contribution to the new system, led to this austerity
Austerity · Coalition government · Development economics · Economic policy · Economics · Exchequer · Government (linguistics) · Market economy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Social security · State (computer science) · Treasury · Welfare · Welfare state · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US
Social insecurity and the retreat from social democracy
Continuities within paradigmatic change
Restructuring the British Welfare State
Running out of road? Dilemmas and issues for the British Labour Party and the Swedish Social Democratic Party in their search for a ‘modern’ welfare state narrative
The one nation idea and state welfare
Measuring poverty in late 1960s Britain
Wealthier and Fairer? Reflecting on SNP Proposals for Tackling Poverty, Inequality and Deprivation in Scotland
Desperately seeking a solution
William Beveridge
State, Economy and Society in Western Europe, 1815–1975
Welfare and the Economy
Pension Systems and Population Change
Years of Recovery
Sir William Beveridge on Full Employment
Economic Planning in the British Building Industry
Report of the Royal Commission on Population
Mr Attlee's Supply-Side Socialism
An End to the Means Test? Social Security and the Attlee Government
Resignation at the Treasury
Creating the Welfare State in Britain, 1945-1960
| Citations per year | 0.31 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2000 - 2026 (27) |
| Highly cited | No |