Five Theories of the Evolution of the Social Welfare System.

Social Values

Two important social values are individualism and social responsibility and there is a continuous cycle shift between the two. The shift is a conflict between public purpose and private interest. Periods of public purpose require a high level of activity which people tire of and cause them to shift to their private interest and they become involved in their own personal lives. However during this period, some social classes tend to fall behind and believe the system isn’t fair. Therefore they press for a change and thus the cycle shifts back to public purpose.

Social Control

The powerful use social control as a way to regulate the poor or needy. Public assistance and welfare programs are used as tools for Politians. For example they encourage people to work by cutting back on benefits and making programs harder to qualify for. Thus instead people are willing to work even at low paying jobs. When benefits remain too low to meet people's basic needs social unrest develops and the social welfare system is then restructured once again.

Elite Power

This theory is based on the idea that a small social class dominates and controls social welfare policies. This theory is related to the social control theory.

Economics as a Determinant

Economic growth and hardship is a major factor in welfare policy. In times of growth we see a shift to individual responsibility and in times of hardship we see and increased demand for the government to help and support those in need. This theory is based on the public’s perception of government intervention.