Beveridge and Social Security An International Retrospective

The Beveridge Report of 1942 captured the public imagination with its principles of universal social insurance in Britain. Beveridge's idea was to use universal benefits to remove the poverty caused by contingencies such as unemployment or disability. This book examines the underlying assumptions of Beveridge's scheme, the circumstances surrounding its implementation, and its short- and long-term effects on social security in Britain and around the world. The contributors argue that the reality, over the past fifty years, has been vastly different from the principles and vision Beveridge expressed. They conclude that there has been in Britain a move away from universally available benefits to means-tested income support. Despite this, the editors argue that Beveridge's important legacy has been the notion of a national minimum income: a safety net covering all. This idea has substantial present-day relevance as the countries of the European Community debate the issue of political and economic convergence.