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25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 3. Welfare provision

[government action for citizens in need of help]

5 ideas
Benefits performed by individuals, not by government, help also to educate them [Mill]
     Full Idea: It is often desirable that beneficial things should be done by individuals, rather than by the government, as a means to their own mental education.
     From: John Stuart Mill (On Liberty [1857], Ch.5)
     A reaction: This raises the important danger, which even those on the political left must acknowledge, of the 'nanny state'. It offers a nicely paternalistic, and even patronising reason for giving people freedom, just as a parent might to a child.
If the state is neutral, there won't be sufficient community to support a welfare state [Taylor,C, by Kymlicka]
     Full Idea: Charles Taylor says the neutral [liberal] state undermines the sense of community which is required for citizens to accept the sacrifices demanded by the welfare state.
     From: report of Charles Taylor (Atomism [1979]) by Will Kymlicka - Community 'legitimacy'
     A reaction: As someone who believes in the welfare state, I think this is correct. Extreme individualistic liberalism is incompatible with a welfare state. A liberal society needs institutions which draw free individuals into the community.
The welfare state helps to integrate the working classes into a national culture [Kymlicka]
     Full Idea: The development of the welfare state has been quite successful in integrating the working classes into national cultures throughout the Western democracies.
     From: Will Kymlicka (Contemporary Political Philosophy (2nd edn) [2002], 8)
     A reaction: Hard-line capitalists tend to hate the welfare state, as unfair to high earners, but it not only makes workers feel involved, but also provides a healthier, happier, more knowledgeable work force for employers.
Liberal welfare focuses on need rather than desert [Kekes]
     Full Idea: In welfare legislation, liberals concentrate on what people need rather than on what they deserve.
     From: John Kekes (Against Liberalism [1997], 01,2)
     A reaction: He makes assessing what people 'deserve' sound easy. Do drowning people deserve to be rescued? Do billionaires deserve their wealth (which is not the same as 'did they acquire it legally')? What do rude people deserve?
Welfare is needed if citizens are to accept the obligations of a liberal state [Charvet]
     Full Idea: The welfare state provides the background conditions under which it is reasonable to expect one's fellow citizens to commit to liberal principles of interaction, even if those conditions can only be achieved through a degree of compulsion.
     From: John Charvet (Liberalism: the basics [2019], 05)
     A reaction: You cannot expect people to accept the role of 'free' citizen if that is likely to result in swift misery. A liberal state will only command loyalty if it has a safety net. Fully committed liberalism implies modest socialism.