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Welfare

This article is about government support for individuals. For other uses, see Welfare (disambiguation).
"Social security", "Social welfare", and "Social programs" redirect here. For specific systems named "Social Security" and other uses, see Social Security. For the model of societal well-being, see Social welfare function. For a broader sense of social programs, see Social services.
For broader coverage of this topic, see Poverty reduction.

A family support centre in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey, which provides assistance to families with children

Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter.[1] Social security may either be synonymous with welfare,[a] or refer specifically to social insurance programs which provide support only to those who have previously contributed (e.g. most pension systems), as opposed to social assistance programs which provide support on the basis of need alone (e.g. most disability benefits).[6][7] The International Labour Organization defines social security as covering support for those in old age, support for the maintenance of children, medical treatment, parental and sick leave, unemployment and disability benefits, and support for sufferers of occupational injury.[8][9]

More broadly, welfare may also encompass efforts to provide a basic level of well-being through subsidized social services such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, vocational training, and public housing.[10][11] In a welfare state, the state assumes responsibility for the health, education, infrastructure and welfare of society, providing a range of social services such as those described.[11]

Some historians view systems of codified almsgiving, like the zakat policy of the seventh century (634 CE) Rashidun caliph Umar, as early examples of universal government welfare.[12] The first welfare state was Imperial Germany (1871–1918), where the Bismarck government introduced social security in 1889.[13] In the early 20th century, the United Kingdom introduced social security around 1913, and adopted the welfare state with the National Insurance Act 1946, during the Attlee government (1944–1951).[11] In the countries of western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, social welfare is mainly provided by the government out of the national tax revenues, and to a lesser extent by non-government organizations (NGOs), and charities (social and religious).[11] A right to social security and an adequate standard of living is asserted in Articles 22 and 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.[6][b]

  1. ^ "Social welfare program". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  2. ^ Brown, Taylor Kate (26 August 2016). "How US welfare compares around the globe". BBC News.
  3. ^ Gilles Séguin. "Welfare". Canadian Social Research. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  4. ^ "Social Security Versus Welfare: Differences and Similarities". e-forms.us.
  5. ^ "Social Security And Welfare – What Is The Difference?". www.get.com.
  6. ^ a b David S. Weissbrodt; Connie de la Vega (2007). International Human Rights Law: An Introduction. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-8122-4032-0.
  7. ^ Walker, Robert (1 November 2004). Social Security And Welfare: Concepts And Comparisons: Concepts and Comparisons. McGraw-Hill Education (UK). p. 4. ISBN 978-0-335-20934-7.
  8. ^ "International Labour Standards on Social security". International Labour Organization.
  9. ^ Frans Pennings (1 January 2006). Between Soft and Hard Law: The Impact of International Social Security Standards on National Social Security Law. Kluwer Law International B.V. pp. 32–41. ISBN 978-90-411-2491-3.
  10. ^ J. C. Vrooman (2009). Rules of Relief: Institutions of Social Security, and Their Impact (PDF). Netherlands Institute for Social Research, SCP. pp. 111–126.
  11. ^ a b c d The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought Third Edition (1999), Allan Bullock and Stephen Trombley Eds., p. 919.
  12. ^ "Benthall, Jonathan & Bellion-Jourdan, J. The Charitable Crescent: Politics of Aid in the Muslim World, second ed. (London: I.B. Tauris, 2009), p. 17". Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Social Security History". Social Security. 28 September 2019. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  14. ^ United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights


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