Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Welfare State shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Welfare State offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Welfare State at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Welfare State? Wrong! If the Welfare State is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Welfare State then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Welfare State? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Welfare State and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Welfare State wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Welfare State then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Welfare State site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Welfare State, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Welfare State, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom. For the general concept, please see Welfare state.
The
Welfare State of the
United Kingdom was prefigured in the William Beveridge Report in 1942, which identified five "Giant Evils" in society: squalor, ignorance, want, idleness and disease.
A series of changes was put in place to deal with these Evils after the Second World War. The changes meant that the government undertook to provide for the people of the United Kingdom "from the cradle to the grave".
This policy resulted in massive expenditure and a great widening of what was considered to be the state's responsibility. In addition to the central services of Education, Health, Unemployment and sickness allowances and so on, the welfare state included the idea of increasing redistributive taxation, increasing regulation of industry food and housing (better safety regulations, "weights and measures" controls etc.)
The Welfare State was a commitment to health (in 1948 the National Health Service was created), education, employment and social security.
However the initial foundation of the National Health Service did not involve building new hospitals but merely the nationalisation of existing municipal and charitable foundations. The aim was not to substantially increase provision but to standardise care across the country; indeed Beveridge believed that the overall cost of medical care would decrease, as people became more healthy and so needed less treatment. Instead the cost increased dramatically, leading to severe financial problems, and charges (for dentures, spectacles and prescriptions) were introduced in 1951 - by the same Labour government that had founded the NHS just three years earlier. Despite this, the principle of health care "free at the point of use" became a central part of the dogma of the welfare state, which later governments critical of the welfare state were unable to reverse. The classic Welfare State period lasted from approximately 1945 to the
1970s, although many features of it remain today.
The deeper reasons for the establishment of the welfare state are complex. Certainly governments who had seen the revolutionary wave of revolts after the
First World War were keen to ensure that deep reforms reduced the risk of mass social unrest after the
Second World War. In addition, modern, complex industry had more need for a healthy and educated workforce than older industries had. Crucially, the experience of almost total state control during the Second World War had inured the population to the idea that the state might deal with wide areas of national life. Finally it seems likely that the social mixing involved in mass evacuation of children, and of service in the armed forces, had increased support for welfare among the middle classes. But the most important change was not in the people but the government; civil servants had become used to control of many aspects of civilian life during the war, and were reluctant to see a reduction in either their numbers or position. A centralised welfare state was an attractive way to ensure the dominance of the self-confident bureaucratic class.
Certainly, the Labour Party (UK), standing in 1945 on a programme of establishing a welfare state, won a very clear victory. However, since the 1980s the
Politics of the United Kingdom has begun to reduce some provisions: for example, free eye tests for all have now been stopped and prescription charges for drugs have constantly risen since they were first introduced in 1951. Providing a Welfare State is however still a basic principle of government policy in the United Kingdom today.
See also
See, Welfare State, Right to Life, and Capital Punishment in India, by Parul Sharma, Sampark Publications,Calcutta/New Delhi,2005.
This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom. For the general concept, please see Welfare state.
The
Welfare State of the United Kingdom was prefigured in the William Beveridge Report in 1942, which identified five "Giant Evils" in society: squalor, ignorance, want, idleness and disease.
A series of changes was put in place to deal with these Evils after the Second World War. The changes meant that the government undertook to provide for the people of the United Kingdom "from the cradle to the grave".
This policy resulted in massive expenditure and a great widening of what was considered to be the state's responsibility. In addition to the central services of Education, Health, Unemployment and sickness allowances and so on, the welfare state included the idea of increasing redistributive taxation, increasing regulation of industry food and housing (better safety regulations, "weights and measures" controls etc.)
The Welfare State was a commitment to health (in 1948 the
National Health Service was created), education, employment and social security.
However the initial foundation of the National Health Service did not involve building new hospitals but merely the nationalisation of existing municipal and charitable foundations. The aim was not to substantially increase provision but to standardise care across the country; indeed Beveridge believed that the overall cost of medical care would decrease, as people became more healthy and so needed less treatment. Instead the cost increased dramatically, leading to severe financial problems, and charges (for dentures, spectacles and prescriptions) were introduced in 1951 - by the same Labour government that had founded the NHS just three years earlier. Despite this, the principle of health care "free at the point of use" became a central part of the dogma of the welfare state, which later governments critical of the welfare state were unable to reverse. The classic Welfare State period lasted from approximately
1945 to the 1970s, although many features of it remain today.
The deeper reasons for the establishment of the welfare state are complex. Certainly governments who had seen the revolutionary wave of revolts after the First World War were keen to ensure that deep reforms reduced the risk of mass social unrest after the
Second World War. In addition, modern, complex industry had more need for a healthy and educated workforce than older industries had. Crucially, the experience of almost total state control during the Second World War had inured the population to the idea that the state might deal with wide areas of national life. Finally it seems likely that the social mixing involved in mass evacuation of children, and of service in the armed forces, had increased support for welfare among the middle classes. But the most important change was not in the people but the government; civil servants had become used to control of many aspects of civilian life during the war, and were reluctant to see a reduction in either their numbers or position. A centralised welfare state was an attractive way to ensure the dominance of the self-confident bureaucratic class.
Certainly, the Labour Party (UK), standing in
1945 on a programme of establishing a welfare state, won a very clear victory. However, since the
1980s the
Politics of the United Kingdom has begun to reduce some provisions: for example, free eye tests for all have now been stopped and prescription charges for drugs have constantly risen since they were first introduced in 1951. Providing a Welfare State is however still a basic principle of government policy in the United Kingdom today.
See also
- Social security
- Social welfare
- National Health Service
- Text of the Beveridge Report
See, Welfare State, Right to Life, and Capital Punishment in India, by Parul Sharma, Sampark Publications,Calcutta/New Delhi,2005.
Welfare State International - About WSI
Society interested in finding new ways to weave art into the fabric of our lives. Includes details of events, short member biographies, and essays.
Welfare State International - Recent Projects
The list of projects on the left are those that were documented in some way on the Welfare State website between 1999 and 2006. This list is in no way complete or definitive.
BBC - History - The Welfare State - Never Ending Reform
Histories of the welfare state usually begin around 1945. The 1940 - 50 period does mark a particular point in the history of welfare in Britain.
The Welfare State
This article discusses and compares the welfare state in Britain, France, Sweden, Germany, the United States, the European Union and developing countries.
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There are three main interpretations of the idea of a welfare state: the provision of welfare services by the state. an ideal model in which the state assumes primary ...
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Welfare State International, one of the collections held by the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, a research centre for students interested in any aspect of theatre and ...
