Modern Social Welfare

An eclectic intellectual tradition forms the foundation of modern social welfare in the United States. Basic principles related to the Protestant work ethic, the English Poor Laws, the Judeo-Christian tradition, and Marxism have all left their influence on public policies that assist the poor. The current election year has given rise to a re-examination and reformulation of poverty programs and policies.

Although modern government regulations that deal with poverty are purely secular, a significant portion of past social welfare ideology was based on religious principles. In his theory of the Protestant work ethic, Weber attempted to explain the influence of religious thought on economic activity. Weber's theory was that capitalism in America and Europe is an outgrowth of the desire by religious individuals for worldly asceticism. He believed that the essence of the spirit of capitalism is the acquisition of wealth as an end in itself. Under this system it was the duty of the individual to increase wealth: "Man is dominated by the making of money, by acquisition as the ultimate purpose of his life" (Weber, 1958, p. 53). In the capitalist worldview, money comes about as a result of diligence and proficiency in one's calling. The attitude toward economics that emerged as a result of the Protestant Reformation was in direct contrast to the Roman Catholic mindset, which viewed work as a punishment for original sin.

Weber agreed with the Calvinist point of view that ind

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dividual choice, classical liberals believed that the state's role should be confined to providing social welfare services for individuals who had not or could not develop decison-making faculties. This group included children. Since they were too young to attend to their own well-being, the state should establish and provide education for children: "Even an ultra-liberal society, the United States, developed state education earlier in the nineteenth century than Britain did, and even Britain made primary education compulsory in 1870" (Jordan, 1987, p. 39). Likewise, infrastructure improvements such as sewers and drains, were suitable activities for the state because these facilities served the public good and were inefficient endeavors for private industry. Thus the classical liberal theorist could find no justification for giving direct public assistance to the poor. Liberals believed that the destitute should seek assistance from family members or those in society who were stronger, not from the government. The mindset of the liberal tradition was to promote independence: "The Victorian Charity Organization Society gave financial assistance only where it could be shown that it would make the recipient more self-suffic

Category: Government - M