Among all the typologies, which exist within Welfare States, most authors classify the United Kingdom as a 'liberal state'. For example, Titmuss sees the United Kingdom as a 'residual model of social policy', where the needs are met by the state only when the private market and the family have failed, and only in a temporarily way. Moreover, Leibfried extends Titumuss's model by presenting four models, but agrees with him by classifying the United Kingdom as a residual welfare model in which the state is a compensator of last resort. Esping-Andersen, in the famous comparative study 'The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism', describes the United Kingdom as a liberal welfare state characterised by modest universal transfers or social insurance, strict entitlement rules and state encouragement of the market. The typology developed by Korpi and Palme, seems to suit well with the real situation of welfare in the United Kingdom. It is categorised as a 'basic security model' with citizenship as the base of entitlement, and the 'flat-rate' as the principle of benefit level.
[...] Because even during Thatcher's government, there was a combination between an economy focus in the market and some measures of social democracy in its policies, especially in healthcare. Even so the rest of characteristics of British model are closer to Liberal model described by Esping-Andersen. The effects of the social policy on the outcomes of men and women The gender pay gap has reduced from in 1997 to in 2007 in the United Kingdom. The reasons for the pay gap are complex. Four main factors can be found. Firstly, the Human capital differences which means differences in educational levels and work experience. [...]
[...] Thus, as we have seen in the previous questions, the liberal tradition of the UK does not enable the government to provide a perfect welfare to everyone: the market is supposed to be the main welfare provider. Thus, this is trough market-reforms that the government try to fight poverty and social exclusion in some areas such as gender equality or unemployment. Despite of some reforms to increase the provision of the Welfare State such as more generous means-tested benefits for low-waged families with children, the provision of welfare by the state is still residual: pensions and health care are mostly private such as childcare, parental leave is mostly a relation between the employer and the employees for the state. [...]
[...] So, closing the pay gap is now one of the indicators in the new Equalities Public Service Agreement. The Government has introduced some measures to reduce the pay gap such as giving the parents of young or disabled children and the carers of adults the right to request flexible working, and providing more access to childcare. One of the main points in gender equality and welfare is childcare. Thus without childcare services it is impossible for women to get a job or improve their careers. [...]
[...] One more negative point is that, although unemployment has fallen, economic inactivity among people of working age decreased not substantially (from 21.6 per cent in 1994 to 21.4 per cent in 2002). The highest risks of economic inactivity are poverty and exclusion. Concerning the poverty in itself, the Chancellor anticipated that the tax credit and minimum wage reforms would reduce “relative poverty” (particularly among children) by 1.2 million. But the results were not so good than this was hoped despite of the important raise of poverty benefits and credits. [...]
[...] (2001), Britain : Moving Towards a Work and Opportunity-Focused Welfare State, International Journal of Social Welfare, Vol 10 pp 260-266 -Fagan Colette and Hebson Gail, ‘Making work pay' debates from a gender perspective ; A comparative review of some recent policy reforms in thirty European countries, European Commission -Kleinman Mark One social model or many? [...]
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