Prehistory of Social Welfare PDF

**🏛️ Prehistory of Social Welfare** **Feudalism and the Emergence of Community Welfare** In feudalism, the **means of production** were primarily land and other community resources. This led to a system of community welfare, where the community was responsible for the well-being of its members. *...

**🏛️ Prehistory of Social Welfare** **Feudalism and the Emergence of Community Welfare** In feudalism, the **means of production** were primarily land and other community resources. This led to a system of community welfare, where the community was responsible for the well-being of its members. **The Impact of Capitalism and Migration** With the rise of **capitalism**, people began to move from rural areas to cities in search of work, leading to a collapse of community welfare systems. This created a need for alternative approaches to welfare. **📜 The Statute of Laborers** In response to a shortage of labor due to the **Black Death**, workers demanded better salaries and living conditions. The **Statute of Laborers** was passed, requiring workers to return to their masters and accept whatever employment was offered to them. The government sided with employers, leading to a need for new forms of welfare. **🤝 The Poor Law** The **Poor Law** was a system of welfare that distinguished between the **deserving poor** and the **undeserving poor**. It provided **indoor relief** (institutional care) and **outdoor relief** (community-based care), with the goal of providing a **less eligibility** standard of living. **📊 Economic Theories** +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **Theory** | **Description** | +===================================+===================================+ | **Mercantilism** | Government intervention to | | | protect the economy from | | | competitors | | | | | | - Canada\'s economic | | | development in colonial times | | | was based on the economic | | | policy of mercantilism. This | | | economic idea sought to | | | derive the maximum material | | | benefit from the colony, for | | | the homeland, with a minimum | | | of imperial investment in the | | | colony itself. | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **Laissez-faire** | No government interference in the | | | economy | | | | | | - describes and environment | | | where transactions between | | | private parties are free from | | | state intervention, including | | | restrictive regulations, | | | taxes, tariffs and enforced | | | monopolies | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **Keynesian Economics** | Government intervention to | | | prevent economic crises | | | | | | - direct support of the | | | unemployed is necessary to | | | maintain aggregate demand and | | | establish a minimal platform | | | for a Welfare State | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **Monetarism** | Reducing the money supply to | | | prevent inflation | | | | | | - Canadian monetarism has been | | | marked by high taxes, an | | | unwillingness/inability to | | | cut government spending, and | | | a singular absence of the | | | anti-welfare state rhetoric | | | of Reaganomics or | | | Thatcherism. | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ **📈 Types of Programs** **By Type of Financing** - **Contributory programs**: Social insurance programs, such as pension plans - E.g. Employment Insurance (EI) -- Social insurance type - **Non-contributory programs**: Social assistance programs, such as welfare benefits - E.g. ODSP -- Social Services Type **By Type of Delivery** - **Cash programs**: Direct financial assistance, such as old-age pensions - Easy for the government to administer and cost affected - **In-kind programs**: Provision of goods and services, such as healthcare and education - Full decision making on the government and not cost effective **By Coverage and Amount Transferred** - **Universal programs**: Programs that provide benefits to all citizens, such as universal healthcare - **Selective programs**: Programs that target specific groups, such as means-tested welfare benefits **📜 Types of Programs** **Cash Programs** - Old-age pensions (OAS) - Unemployment insurance (EI) - Workers\' compensation (WC) - Social assistance (SA) - Veteran pensions **Tax/Fiscal Measures** - Childcare deductions - Registered retirement savings plans (RRSP) - Medical expense deductions **In-Kind Programs** - Medicare - Social housing - Provisions and shelter aid - Education - Legal aid **Legislation** - Minium Wage - Employee equity **Occupational Benefits** - Health benefits - Pension plans - Sport and recreational facilities **Voluntary and Charitable Measures** - Food banks - Shelters - Soup kitchens **🤝 Context of Social Policy** *\"Social policy is not inherent in capitalism. Each specific social policy requires ideological, political, and economic justification.\"* **Primary Distribution of Goods and Services** In a capitalist economy, the primary distribution of goods and services occurs through the free market, where workers contribute labor and receive wages in exchange. **Secondary Distribution of Goods and Services** Social welfare, on the other hand, involves a secondary distribution of goods and services, where the government redistributes wealth through taxation, regulations, and social programs. **📊 Needs and Social Policy** *\"Needs are subject to social definition; others legitimize wants.\"* - **Assumed needs**: Needs that are assumed to be universal, such as child benefits - **Income needs**: Needs that are related to income, such as poverty relief - **Other needs**: Needs that are related to specific circumstances, such as medical or legal needs **📈 Social Insurance and Compensation** - **Social insurance**: Programs that provide protection against social risks, such as unemployment or illness - **Compensation**: Programs that provide compensation for loss, such as workers\' compensation or veteran pensions **📊 Investment in Human Capital** - **Education**: Programs that provide education and training - **Skills training**: Programs that provide skills training and retraining - **Relocation**: Programs that provide assistance with relocation - **Job search information**: Programs that provide information about job search and employment opportunities **📈 Ensuring Economic Growth and Stability** - **Keynesian economics**: Using social expenditures to manipulate the economy and prevent social unrest - **Shifting expenditures**: Shifting expenditures from business to taxpayers to achieve social goals.