Welfare and Human Nature: The Human Subject in Twentieth-Century Social Politics

The subject of human nature has recently returned to the center of welfare debate in Britain, with prime ministers, politicians, and academics addressing the effects of social policy on individual character and morality. This book offers the first serious examination of ideas on human nature and motivation in 20th-century welfare. It examines their role in the writings of major social democratic and neo-liberal thinkers shaping the development of social policy. The book also examines alternative ideas about human nature in Marxist and feminist thought and considers their potential for contributing towards new approaches to welfare.