The British government is currently committed to radical reform of the welfare system underpinning social citizenship in the country. Welfare rights and responsibilities are a response to this, focusing on welfare reform and citizenship. Three issues are central to citizenship's social element: provision, membership, and the link between welfare rights and responsibilities (conditionality). Part 1 of the book discusses competing philosophical, political, and academic perspectives on citizenship and welfare. Part 2 then moves discussions about social citizenship away from the purely theoretical ... More

The British government is currently committed to radical reform of the welfare system underpinning social citizenship in the country. Welfare rights and responsibilities are a response to this, focusing on welfare reform and citizenship. Three issues are central to citizenship's social element: provision, membership, and the link between welfare rights and responsibilities (conditionality). Part 1 of the book discusses competing philosophical, political, and academic perspectives on citizenship and welfare. Part 2 then moves discussions about social citizenship away from the purely theoretical level, allowing the practical concerns of citizens (particularly those at the sharp end of public provision) to become an integral part of debates concerning citizenship and welfare. The book gives voice to the ‘ordinary’ citizens who actually make use of welfare services. It offers an accessible overview of contemporary debates about the contested concepts of citizenship and welfare, linking them to recent developments and discussions about the new welfare settlement and values that underpin it. The book also combines relevant debates within political philosophy, social policy, and sociology that relate to social citizenship with recent policy developments.