Welfare State

Discussion

Loss of Autonomy

NEF-uk:

"We are not overwhelmed with evidence that more of the same public services would bring commensurate benefits. A defining characteristic of the welfare state has been that paid public servants provide help to individuals who are needy and have problems. It has saved a lot of people from destitution and early death, but it is a deficit model that generates a culture of atomised individualism and dependency. If you are just a passive recipient of the ministrations of others who are paid to look after you, you can lose control over what happens to you. If your voice is unheard and you feel unvalued, this undermines your physical and mental well-being. You get used to thinking others know more and are better placed to fix your problems – although what they do will not deliver the best outcomes, because your own wisdom and capabilities have not been brought into play. In many services, especially health, you are treated as an individual (if you are lucky) or as a body part (if you are not), with no account taken of context or relationships.

Notwithstanding the phenomenal achievements of the British welfare state over the past 60 years, things have moved on and it is time for change." (nef: The Great Transition: social justice and the core economy)