Moralism, Self-Interest and Attitudes to Welfare
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6327663 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter Taylor-Gooby (0000-0002-4825-1250, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1983 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 145-160 |
| Publication date | 1983-04-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Policy & Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-5736 • E-ISSN: 1470-8442 |
| Publisher | Bristol University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1332/030557383782718797 |
| OpenAlex | W2056494467 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 14 |
Public opinion supports some welfare services much more strongly than others. One tradition in social policy theory has interpreted this distinction as a dichotomy between ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ needs and seen it as reflecting moralistic judgements on the citizenship status of different categories of recipients. An alternative approach argues that ideas about the extent to which services supply felt interests are more important. The two perspectives have different implications for the extent to which a process of conscious reflection on self-interest as against the unconscious internalisation of norms is the crucial factor in judgements on welfare. The more opinion is a matter of active evaluation, the more amenable it is to modification by considerations of argument and the more likely is it that the norms of the market will not prove insuperable obstacles to citizen acceptance of welfare policy in capitalist society. This paper analyses evidence from a recent survey to show (a) that judgements of self-interest in welfare show some correspondence to claims by political scientists about the objective social circumstances that produce need for services, and (b) that felt interest plays an important role in public opinion about the welfare state
Argument (complex analysis · Economics · Law and economics · Morality · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Public economics · Public interest · Public opinion · Self-interest · Social Welfare · Sociology · Unconscious mind · Welfare · Welfare state · Law · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies
Talking of the Royal Family
Free Enterprise, Professional Ideology, and Self-Interest
Reflections upon charitable giving
Taking the High Road? Media and Public Attitudes Toward Poverty in Scotland
Strategies for welfare
Support for Income Maintenance Benefits
Exploring Public Attitudes to Welfare over the Longue Durée
The Welfare State and Individual Freedom
Public preferences for the care of dependency groups
Marginalization and subsidized individualism
Legitimation Deficit, Public Opinion and the Welfare State
Shifting the Goalposts
Attitudes to Welfare
The Family, the Welfare State and Community Care
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1983 - 2016 (34) |
| Highly cited | No |