NATIONAL WELFARE

Welfare

Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure

that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. [1] Social
security may either be synonymous with welfare,[a] or refer specifically to social insurance
programs which provide support only to those who have previously contributed (e.g. most
pension systems), as opposed to social assistance programs which provide support on the
basis of need alone (e.g. most disability benefits). [6][7] The International Labour
Organization defines social security as covering support for those in old age, support for
the maintenance of children, medical treatment, parental and sick leave, unemployment
and disability benefits, and support for sufferers of occupational injury. [8][9]

More broadly, welfare may also encompass efforts to provide a basic level of well-being
through free or subsidized social services such as healthcare, education, infrastructure,
vocational training, and public housing. [10][11] In a welfare state, the state assumes
responsibility for the health, education, infrastructure and welfare of society, providing a
range of social services such as those described.[11]

Some historians view systems of codified almsgiving, like the zakat policy of the 7th
century (634 CE) Rashidun caliph Umar, as early examples of universal government
welfare.[12] The first welfare state was Imperial Germany (1871–1918), where the Bismarck
government introduced social security in 1889. [13] In the early 20th century, the United
Kingdom introduced social security around 1913, and adopted the welfare state with the
National Insurance Act 1946, during the Attlee government (1945–51). [11] In the countries
of western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, social welfare is mainly provided by the
government out of the national tax revenues, and to a lesser extent by non-government
organizations (NGOs), and charities (social and religious). [11] A right to social security and
an adequate standard of living is asserted in Articles 22 and 25 of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights.[6][b]

History

In the Roman Empire, the first emperor Augustus provided the Cura Annonae or grain dole
for citizens who could not afford to buy food every month. Social welfare was enlarged by

1
 NATIONAL WELFARE

the Emperor Trajan.[15] Trajan's program brought acclaim from many, including Pliny the
Younger.[16] The Song dynasty government (960 CE) supported multiple programs which
could be classified as social welfare, including the establishment of retirement homes,
public clinics, and paupers' graveyards. According to economist Robert Henry Nelson, "The
medieval Roman Catholic Church operated a far-reaching and comprehensive welfare
system for the poor ..."[17][18] From the 14th century onward the governments of the Italian
city-states began to partner with the church to provide welfare and education to the lower
classes.[19] In later Protestant European nations such as the Dutch Republic welfare was
managed by local guilds until the abolition of the guild system in the early 19th century. [20]
[21]
In the free imperial cities of the Holy Roman Empire the city governments in cities like
Nuremberg could take control of the collection and distribution of public welfare. [22][23]

The 7th century caliph Umar implemented a form of zakat, one of the Five Pillars of Islam,
as a codified universal social security tax. [24] Traditionally estimated at 2.5% of an
individual's assets, government zakat funds were distributed to various groups of Muslims,
including impoverished people and those in severe debt. [25][26] The collection of zakat
increased during the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, though the zakat system was
frequently inefficient and corrupt; Islamic jurists often instructed Muslims to distribute
money to the needy directly instead to maximize its impact. [27]

Likewise, in Jewish tradition, charity (represented by tzedakah) is a matter of religious

obligation rather than benevolence. Contemporary charity is regarded as a continuation of
the Biblical Maaser Ani, or poor-tithe, as well as Biblical practices, such as permitting the
poor to glean the corners of a field and harvest during the Shmita (Sabbatical year).

There is relatively little statistical data on transfer payments before the High Middle Ages.
In the medieval period and until the Industrial Revolution, the function of welfare
payments in Europe was achieved through private giving or charity, through numerous
confraternities and activities of different religious orders. Early welfare programs in
Europe included the English Poor Law of 1601, which gave parishes the responsibility for
providing welfare payments to the poor. This system was substantially modified by the
19th-century Poor Law Amendment Act, which introduced the system of workhouses.

2
 NATIONAL WELFARE

It was predominantly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that an organized system of
state welfare provision was introduced in many countries. Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of
Germany, introduced one of the first welfare systems for the working classes. [29] In Great
Britain the Liberal government of Henry Campbell-Bannerman and David Lloyd George
introduced the National Insurance system in 1911, [30] a system later expanded by Clement
Attlee.

Modern welfare states include Germany, France, the Netherlands, [31] as well as the Nordic
countries, such as Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland [32] which employ a
system known as the Nordic model. Esping-Andersen classified the most developed welfare
state systems into three categories; Social Democratic, Conservative, and Liberal. A report
published by the ILO in 2014 estimated that only 27% of the world's population has access
to comprehensive social security.[34] The World Bank's 2019 World Development Report
argues that the traditional payroll-based model of many kinds of social insurance are
"increasingly challenged by working arrangements outside standard employment
contracts".

Forms

Welfare can take a variety of forms, such as monetary payments, subsidies and vouchers, or
housing assistance. Welfare systems differ from country to country, but welfare is
commonly provided to individuals who are unemployed, those with illness or disability, the
elderly, those with dependent children, and veterans. Programs may have a variety of
conditions for a person to receive welfare:

 Social insurance, state-sponsored programs based partly on individual

contributions towards benefits such as healthcare, unemployment payments, and
old-age pensions.

 Means-tested benefits, financial assistance provided for those who are unable to
cover basic needs, such as food, clothing and housing, due to poverty or lack of
income because of unemployment, sickness, disability, or caring for children. While
assistance is often in the form of financial payments, those eligible for social welfare
can usually access health and educational services free of charge. The amount of

3
 NATIONAL WELFARE

support is enough to cover basic needs and eligibility is often subject to a

comprehensive and complex assessment of an applicant's social and financial
situation. See also Income Support.

 Non-contributory benefits. Several countries have special schemes, administered

with no requirement for contributions and no means test, for people in certain
categories of need, such as veterans of armed forces, people with disabilities, and
very old people.

 Discretionary benefits. Some schemes are based on the decision of an official, such
as a social worker.

 Universal or categorical benefits, also known as demogrants. These are non-

contributory benefits given for whole sections of the population without a means
test, such as family allowances or the public pension in New Zealand (known as New
Zealand Superannuation). See also the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend.

Social protection

In developing countries, formal social security arrangements are often absent for the vast
majority of the working population, in part due to reliance on the informal economy.
Additionally, the state's capacity to reach people may be limited because of its limited
infrastructure and resources. In this context, social protection is often referred to instead of
social security, encompassing a broader set of means, such as labour market intervention
and local community-based programs, to alleviate poverty and provide security against
things like unemployment.

India

The Central Government of India's social programmes and welfare expenditures are a
substantial portion of the official budget, and state and local governments play roles in
developing and implementing social security policies. Additional welfare measure systems
are also uniquely operated by various state governments. The government uses the unique
identity number (Aadhar) that every Indian possesses to distribute welfare measures in
India. As of 2020, the government's expenditure on social programme and welfare (direct
cash transfers, financial inclusion, benefits, health and other insurances, subsidies, free

4
 NATIONAL WELFARE

school meals, rural employment guarantee), was approximately fourteen lakh crore rupees
($192 billion), which was 7.3% of gross domestic product (GDP).

Effects

The welfare-to-work intervention programme is unlikely to have any impacts on the

mental and physical health of lone parents and children. Even when the employment and
income rates were higher in this group of people, the poverty rate was high which could
lead to persistently high rates of depression whether they were in the programme or not.

Income transfers can be either conditional or unconditional. Conditionalities are

sometimes criticized as being paternalistic and unnecessary, and research in different
contexts shows enforcing conditionalities can result in additional burdens for recipients
and social service providers.

A 2008 study by welfare economist and Brown University Professor Allan M. Feldman
suggests that welfare can achieve both competitive equilibrium and Pareto efficiency in the
market, although different points of Pareto efficiency are more fair to some than others.

Some opponents of welfare argue that it affects work incentives.

Perception

According to a 2012 review study, whether a welfare program generates public support
depends on:

 whether the program is universal or targeted towards certain groups

 the size of the social program benefits (larger benefits incentivize greater
mobilization to defend a social program)

 the visibility and traceability of the benefits (whether recipients know where the
benefits come from)

 the proximity and concentration of the beneficiaries (this affects the ease by which
beneficiaries can organize to protect a social program)

 the duration of the benefits (longer benefits incentivize greater mobilization to

defend a social program)

5
 NATIONAL WELFARE

 the manner in which a program is administered (whether the program is inclusive

and follow principles)

How Welfare Works

Social welfare systems assist individuals and families through health care, food
stamps, unemployment compensation, housing assistance, and childcare assistance. In the
U.S., a caseworker is assigned to each individual or family applying for benefits to
determine and confirm the applicant's needs.

The benefits available to an individual vary by state. Eligibility is determined based on

factors surrounding the person’s financial status and its relation to the minimum
acceptable levels within a particular state. The factors involved can include the family unit's
size, current income levels, or an assessed disability.

Social welfare systems may go by different names within each state, but they often serve
similar functions. This can cause confusion when attempting to compare one state's
program to another. Additionally, the requirements to qualify also vary, depending on the
poverty line in a particular state. This allows for adjustments based on the cost of living
that isn't based on one standard.

An individual that is on welfare is usually provided free or deeply discounted goods and
services. The government requires that individuals or families seeking assistance must
prove that their annual income falls below the federal poverty level (FPL). The FPL is an
economic measure of income used to determine whether an individual or family qualifies
for certain subsidies or aid. The 2022 poverty guidelines for one person is $13,590; for a
family of four, it is $27,750.1

There is no standardized system for the administration of social welfare programs, which
vary state-by-state, are listed under different names, and have different requirements to
qualify.

Special Considerations

Welfare programs are initiatives set up by the government to support the poor,
developmentally challenged, and disadvantaged groups. Compared to other developed

6
 NATIONAL WELFARE

countries, the U.S. provides a relatively small social safety net and has fewer welfare
programs available, and with greater restrictions.

In the U.S., the history of welfare programs is complex and controversial in some circles of
politics. In the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson created programs like the Head Start,2
food stamps,3 and Medicare,4 all designed to fight what he called "the war on poverty" in
America. Former President Richard Nixon was responsible for spearheading the Family
Assistance Plan.5

Fast-forward to the 1980s, former president Ronald Regan slashed welfare budget
programs designed to help families and created "welfare to work" programs instituted in
40 states during the 1980s. In 1996 welfare reform legislation focused on shifting
responsibility to welfare participants and advocating work over general assistance.6 In the
21st century, welfare reform and assistance programs continue to expand and change
under President Joe Biden's leadership.7

There are seven major welfare programs in America, they include Medicaid, Supplemental
Security Income (SSI), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child’s Health
Insurance Program (CHIP), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), housing
assistance, and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Supplemental Security Income is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA)

and provides public assistance to children and adults living with disabilities like blindness,
neurological challenges, respiratory disease, and failure to thrive. The full list of disabilities
that qualify can be found on the social security administration's (SSA) website.10

According to the most recent statistics from the SSA, as of Apr. 2022, 7.6 million people
receive approximately $625 in disability income in the form of SSI each month.11

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as the Food Stamp
Program, is run by each state and provides vouchers to low-income households to buy

7
 NATIONAL WELFARE

nutritious and low-cost foods. Millions of Americans use SNAP vouchers every year to buy
food for their households.

Two other programs designed to help children and families are the Special Supplemental
Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Child Nutrition Program.
WIC's offering includes nearly everything a mother and young child needs to thrive up until
the age of five.12 WIC's services include food, educational class and support, vouchers, and
health referrals for pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum services.

The Child Nutrition Program is an umbrella that shelters the National School Lunch
Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Summer Food Service Program. All of
these programs are designed to ensure kids get free or reduced-cost breakfast and lunch,
when school is in session, and when it is closed for the summer.13 By March 2022, over 41
million households benefited from SNAP vouchers.14

Child's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

Child’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is administered by the US Department of Health

and Human Services (HHS). It provides low-cost health care to children in households that
won’t otherwise qualify for Medicaid. This program covers all benefits for children
including dental care, plus special needs assistance like physical, speech and language, and
occupational therapy providing a strong safety net for children in low-income homes.15

TANF

The US government provides welfare assistance through Temporary Assistance to Needy

Families (TANF). Congress created TANF to prevent welfare recipients from abusing the
welfare program by mandating that all recipients find a job within two years or risk losing
their welfare benefits.

The federal government, under TANF, provides an annual welfare grant of $16.5 billion to
all states.16 The states use their allocated funds to operate their own welfare programs.
However, to receive the federal grant, states must also use some of their own money to
fund their individual programs.

8
 NATIONAL WELFARE

Housing Assistance

The housing choice voucher program is a federal program designed to help extremely low-
income families, the disabled, and the elderly have access to affordable and liveable,
meaning clean, sanitary, and safe, rental homes in safe neighborhoods in the private
market. These vouchers are given out by local public housing agencies (PHA), who receive
the funding for these vouchers from the federally run U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) office.

Individuals and families who qualify for vouchers may live anywhere. These vouchers are
not limited to subsidized housing projects but can be used in any residential neighborhood
that meets PHA's health and safety requirements. Voucher recipients must find their own
housing under this program, and the housing subsidy is directly paid to the landlord of the
renal by the PHA.

The family or individual is responsible for paying out of pocket the difference between the
market price on the rent and the amount subsidized by the voucher program. In rare
instances and under specific requirements, a family could use vouchers to purchase a
modest home in an affordable neighborhood. However, the transaction would have to be
authorized by the PHA, according to the HUD website.

ICDS – Integrated Child Development Services

This program came into effect in 1975. Also, it is aimed at enhancing the nutrition, health,
and learning opportunities of infants and young children (O-6 years) along with their
mothers.

Scheme for the children of working mothers

This scheme came into effect in 2006. Also, the main aim of this program was the overall
development of children, childhood protection,  awareness generation, and complete
immunization. Additionally, it spread among parents on health, malnutrition, and
education.

9
 NATIONAL WELFARE

Child Health  and reproductive Programme

This scheme came into effect in 1951. So, the main aim was to provide quality sustainable
Primary Health Care services to the women. Also, the women in the scheme were in the
reproductive age group and a special focus on Immunisation and family planning.

Pulse Polio Immunization Programme

This scheme came into effect in 1995. Thus, the main was to eradicate poliomyelitis (polio)
in India. So, it was done by vaccinating all children under five years of age against
poliovirus.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

This scheme came into effect in 2001. All children in school, Alternate School, Education
Guarantee Centre, ‘ Back-to-School’ camp by 2003. While all children complete 5years of
primary schooling by 2007, all children complete 8 years of elementary schooling by 2010
were considered.

Also, the focus was on elementary education for providing satisfactory quality with
primary emphasis on education for life. Also, the bridge and social category gaps at primary
stage by 2007 while at elementary education level by 2010.

Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya

This scheme came into effect in 2004. Also, the main was to ensure the access of quality
education to the girls that belonged to disadvantaged groups of society. So, it was done by
setting up residential schools along with boarding facilities at the elementary level.

Mid-day Meal Scheme

This scheme came into effect in 1995. Here the main idea was to improve the nutritional
status of children in classes 1 to 8 in Government, Government aided schools, Local Body
and, AIE and EGS centers. Also, it encouraged poor children that belonged to disadvantaged
sections. They were advised to attend school more regularly and thereby helping them
concentrate on classroom activities. Also, they were provided nutritional support to
children in the drought-affected areas during summer vacation.

10