The Family in the Welfare State

It's a commonplace that 'the family is in trouble'. The vast increase in welfare spending since the 1950s has not eradicated social problems in the way its architects hoped; in fact there is good evidence that the supply of welfare benefits has created its own demand. Yet there is little public debate about the fundamentals of the welfare state, and the usual response to the problems of the family is to demand more welfare spending. But the family is not just an economic institution; it is a complex of biological, emotional, economic, legal and other kinds of relationships. And, considering its central place in all our lives, surprisingly little is known about how it works. The Family in the Welfare State investigates the interplay of family and state in areas such as marriage, taxes and benefits, childcare, schooling and care of the aged. Historian and philosopher Alan Tapper challenges our preconceptions. He asks: Are children taxpayers? What is different about sole parents? Why do we have to assume we have to support old people who have a lifetime's accumulation of savings?
If the questions are unexpected, so are some of the answers, but they are buttressed by careful, step-by-step argument. Welfare policy should never be the same again. This book is intended for students and researchers in sociology and social welfare.