The Success of the Welfare State

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The Success of the Welfare State The Welfare State is a system set up in Britain that takes care of its citizens "from the cradle to the grave." From the day they are born in the hospital to the day they are buried and given a funeral service. This includes responsibilities such as health, education, provision of services and benefits, which ensure that people are looked after and taken care of. In Britain, the Welfare State was set up as a safety net to protect the most vulnerable members of society (widows, pensioners, children etc) and to guarantee them a satisfactory level of income, health care, education and housing. Almost 60 years after it was first established, many sociologists are disagreeing about whether or not it has been successful. Some believe that the welfare state has been reasonably successful as a safety net while others argue that it has been far from successful in tackling poverty and inequality. I will discuss both sides before putting forward my on opinion. The welfare state has had many positive achievements, including the fact that it has removed absolute poverty. It has supported people that are unable to work so that they have not had to resort to charity or begging or depending on their family. For example, when we reach the reasonable age, we receive state pension so that we can look after ourselves financially as we are unable to work. The elderly people's health does not make it easy for them to work and sometimes if they can work, employers do not want them so the welfare state has taken care of that and is a strong argument for the welfare state being successful. Furthermore, due to the ... ... middle of paper ... ... motivation to work, they take advantage of the benefits. This could be in several ways; some people secretly work as well as claiming benefits at the same time. This is unfair to the people that are working and paying tax. People think that claiming benefits is an alternative to actually working. I do not want the Welfare Stare to be removed because it has been so successful but agree that some of the things need to be cut down. If you give people too much, they take advantage so I think they should only given a limited amount, unless the people genuinely need it. The spare money can be spent somewhere more worthwhile. A harsh thing to say would be stop all benefits because people should take responsibility for themselves but I am not saying that. I am simply suggesting that the state should not give away too much.

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