Transformational Moments in Social Welfare: What Role for Voluntary Action?

Description

This book will provide an accessible and timely insight into debates about voluntary action and social welfare in England in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and gives equal weight to both historical and contemporary evidence, placing both within the same conceptual framework. During the consolidation of the Welfare State in the 1940s, and its reshaping in the 2010s, the boundaries between state, voluntary action, the family and the market were called into question. This interdisciplinary book explores the impact of these 'transformational moments' on the role, position and contribution of voluntary action to social welfare. It considers how different narratives have been constructed, articulated and contested by public, political and voluntary sector actors, making comparisons within and across the 1940s and 2010s. With a unique analysis of recent and historical material, this important book illuminates contemporary debates about voluntary action and welfare. Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence.

Georgina Brewis is Associate Professor in the History of Education at University College London. Angela Ellis Paine is Research Fellow at the Third Sector Research Centre at the University of Birmingham. Irene Hardill is Professor of Public Policy at Northumbria University. Rose Lindsey is Senior Research Fellow at the University of Southampton. Rob Macmillan is Principal Research Fellow at Sheffield Hallam University.

"An enjoyable and accessible read, of interest to academics and practitioners alike. Reflective without being nostalgic, this is a great read for anyone who asks the voluntary sector 'Who do you think you are?'." Karl Wilding, Independent Analyst and Consultant "Thoroughly researched and timely, this book provides a much-needed and welcome historical perspective to debates about the future of welfare in the UK today." Marilyn Taylor, Institute for Voluntary Action Research "This scholarly and highly readable book uses historical and contemporary analysis of two pivotal moments in the history of the welfare state to shed new light on the relationship between the state and voluntary sector - past, present and future." Justin Davis Smith, Bayes Business School