Social Welfare in the Twenty-First Century: Issues, Critique and Relevance

Social welfare is a way of thinking-society’s collective image of its responsibility to its own members. Philanthropic in essence, social welfare is concerned with far more than needy. It is integrated into the basic structure of society in way that influence the lives of all groups–the poor and rich, minorities and those in power. Social welfare’s most obvious manifest function in society is to help. In the era of globalisation and WTO, the concept of ‘social welfare’ is being receded to oblivion. WTO, under the influence of America and other rich countries putting ban conditions on welfare measures. Nations are being compelled to privatize public enterprises, cut subsidies etc. Under such circumstances, it is very essential to reassess the relevance of social welfare in the twenty-first century. Some pertinent issues rejuvenating, the concept are given elaborate treatment. Entire information is gathered under eight chapters e.g. social welfare and welfare state, dilemma of the future of welfare state; nature and scope, free market and social welfare, social welfare models, and social division of welfare etc.