Presentation at the Policy and Politics Conference 2013, Bristol on 17th September 2013. It explores the emergence of a ‘selective welfare state’ in the United Kingdom under the prefecture of the current coalition government. Read the full article at: http://bit.ly/15BuHlf.

1. Reconceptualising the Welfare State
Model: The Rise of a ‘Selective Welfare
State’ in the United Kingdom?
Nasrul Ismail
Visiting Research Fellow
School of Law, University of Bristol
Nasrul.ismail@bristol.ac.uk
@na5ru1 | #PP2013

2. Content

3. Definition of the ‘Welfare State’
‘Welfare state’ is a loosely used terminology. It
refers to the non-market, governmental
provision of, or direct funding of, consumption
needs in conventional areas such as income,
housing and healthcare (Hasenfeld et al., 1987:
389)

4. Modus Operandi of a Welfare State
Enabling
Sustaining

5. Genealogical Investigation of the
Welfare State in the United Kingdom
Sustaining

6. Economic Pressures
• The cost of the welfare state has accelerated significantly faster
than inflation while the tax base has expanded only slightly faster
than inflation.
• Unparalleled growth of public spending in 2000s.
• Financial crisis and support for the main clearing banks since
2008 and rigorous use of quantitative easing of over £200m.
• Greying population and contraction of labour market.

7. How Recessions Compare

8. Major Public Sector Transformation

9. Curtailment of the State Benefit

10. Summer of Discontent 2011

11. Summer of Discontent 2011 - Continued

12. Troubled Families Agenda

13. Troubled Families Agenda - Continued

14. A Hand, Not a Hand-out –
Empowering the Population

15. Passing the Blame onto the Local
Government

16. State’s Powers versus Individual
Rights

17. Questioning the Selective Welfare
Concept – Judicial Review

18. Questioning the Selective Welfare
Concept – NGOs

19. Questioning the Selective Welfare
Concept – Election

20. Power Shift - 2010 General Election and 2013 Local
Government Election Comparison

21. Concluding Remarks

22. Any Questions?