Issues & Perspectives in

Social Welfare
SWRK2040
Fall 2019
Instructor: Amy Alberton, MSW, Doctoral Candidate
The Marxist
Paradigm
Chapter 6
Continuum of Major Worldviews/Paradigms

From the most ‘conservative’

Neo-conservative
Liberal
Social Democratic
Marxist
To the most ‘liberal’
 Marxism
• Marx’s philosophy was humanistic
• Deeply concerned about well-being and life chances of the working class in Victorian
England
• Total rejection of capitalist system rather than reform
• View of welfare/well-being: It is a social norm based on values of solidarity
and co-operation
• Well-being of people in society is primary & mode of production setup to
meet human needs (as opposed to make profits)
 Marxism (cont.)
• Welfare society couldn’t exist under capitalism –
coercion and competition are the bases of
capitalist social organization (rather than co-
operation and solidarity)
• Central feature of any society is its mode of
production (how system of productivity is
organized)
• Determines: political system, educational
system, nature of art and music, ideology,
riches, poverty, & how people relate to each
other
 Marxist Assumptions: Human Nature
• People are creative producers
• All humans need each other to achieve our humanity
• Human nature is not static – changes with different social contexts
• Competitive under capitalism
• Co-operative under socialism
 Marxist Assumptions: Nature of Society
• Production is not only basis of human nature, but also basis of collective
life
• In socialist (Marxist) society – means of production would be publicly
owned – because no owners & everyone contributes according to ability
& receives according to needs – relations of production characterized by
social equality (no class structure)
Marxist Assumptions: Role of Government
• More skeptical than social democrats re: state having transformative
potential

• Marxists view role of state in capitalist society as being a tool & servant
of ruling class to control working class
• All laws, political decisions, policies, and actions are interest of the
ruling class
 Marxist Assumptions: Social Justice
• Similar to social democratic perspective
• Marx (1970 [1875]):
• “From each according to [one’s] ability, to each according to [one’s]
needs”
• For Marx, ultimate/ideal form of social justice is classless society
 Marxist Assumptions: Social Change
• Social change is constantly occurring and is brought about directly through
class struggle
• Early on, Marx & Engels believed capitalism was going to self-destruct,
suggested working class would seize means of production
• Later, they acknowledged that capitalism was much more adaptive and
complex than originally posited
• Much of the working class bought into capitalism and attempted to get
as much out of it as they could
 Marxist Assumptions: Social Change (cont.)

• Neo-Marxism (e.g. Frankfurt School of Critical Theory, etc.) developed to

move Marxism beyond class analysis – encouraging
reconstructions/reformulations of Marxist theory

Many SWs are not aware or informed of these developments & have
dismissed Marxism as an outdated theory of society and social change…
Nothing could be further from the truth.
 Marxist Social Beliefs
Three central values of socialism – Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
1) Liberty/Freedom
• Can only exist if substantial degree of economic security and equality are present
• Rights/liberties can only be exercised fairly if complemented by social freedom
• Liberty = equality of economic circumstances or human emancipation – can only be
achieved under socialism
 Marxist Social Beliefs (cont.)
Three central values of socialism – Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
2) Equality
• Does not mean sameness – means absence of special privilege & availability of
opportunities to all
3) Fraternity/Solidarity/Collectivism
• Good Society = one without barriers to people living harmoniously and
cooperatively
 Marxist Economic Beliefs
• Public ownership of the means of production (brought about by
nationalization of private enterprises)
• Distribution of resources according to need
• Industrial democracy
• Planned economy (as part of a planned society)
 Marxist Political Beliefs
• Government planning
• Participatory democracy (similar to social democrats)
• Parliamentary system of government
• View that capitalism can only be transformed by class conflict
• Unlike SD, Marxists think welfare state as a social institution supports
capitalism – instead, they focus efforts on labour as primary vehicle for
change
 Marxist View of Social Problems
• Social problems are result of capitalist form of production
& accompanying forms of social relationships
• Believe the term ‘social problem’ mystifies structural
issues of inequality, oppression, and alienation by turning
them into individual issues of deviance, inadequacy, or
pathology
• Marxist analysis of poverty shows that it will never be
resolved or eliminated in capitalist society because
capitalism needs poverty
What functions does poverty carry out for capitalism?
 Critical (Social) Theory
• Marx arguably founded this body of social theory
• Further developed by Frankfurt School and others (e.g. Jurgen Habermas)
• CT is critical of existing social institutions and practices, locates sources of social
problems (i.e. domination) within them
• Seeks to change society whose institutions, practice, and processes are
exploitative and discriminatory to one that is emancipatory and free from
domination
• More recent forms of CT include feminism, anti-racism, anti-oppression, etc.
 Marxist View of Social Welfare
• Same as social democrats (or any other socialist group) – structural model
of welfare
• Social services should be distributed according to need
• Should be universal, comprehensive, adequate, and free
• Prevention is primary social welfare principle
• Should be participation on part of lay people in determining policy
 Marxist View of Social Welfare
Traditional Welfare State Props up Capitalism
• Marxists do not agree with SDs that welfare state w/i capitalism provides
steppingstone toward socialism
• Marxists believe welfare state strengthens and supports capitalism
• b/c of liberal-capitalist context, welfare state is part of symbiotic relationship with all
other major institutions
• All capitalist institutions function to promote conformity to capitalism
• This perception part of Marxist belief that gov’t in capitalist state represents interests of
“capitalist class”
 In a capitalist society the welfare state
operates to…
1. Reduce working-class resistance to the existing social order
2. Increase efficiency of the economic system
3. Underwrite many of the costs that owners of capital incur
• Ex. Through public spending in areas of education and
health – private sector has an educated and healthy
workforce available w/o any direct costs
 Marxist View of Social Welfare (cont.)
• Orthodox (traditional) Marxists reject notion that welfare state in capitalist
society holds any potential for socialism

• However – not all Marxists reject the welfare state as a vehicle for
socialism

• Depends on whether one has adopted revolutionary or evolutionary

Marxist perspective…
SW Practice within the Marxist Paradigm
• Critical Question for Marxist SW: Can radical social and political change
come about through the social welfare institution in a capitalist society?
• Answer depends whether one is a revolutionary or an evolutionary Marxist
• Both favour attainment of socialist state – differ in their perspectives of how to attain
• Revolutionary: does not believe any socialist potential is inherent in any capitalist social
institution & seeks to create & develop counter-institutions/orgs to challenge power of the
state
• Evolutionary: socialist state can be created by working within existing social
institutions/orgs that have potential for socialism - transform capitalism
 SW Practice within the Marxist Paradigm
(cont.)
• Unless one is self-supporting or employed by a radical union, there do not
appear to be many opportunities for revolutionary Marxists to practice SW
• Differences between social democratic SW practice and evolutionary Marxist
SW practice is more of degree and emphasis than of kind
• Both attest to needs of people hurt by capitalism
• Both would attempt to restructure society along socialist lines
• However, evolutionary Marxist SWs would emphasize latter task more than SD
counterparts
 Criticisms of Marxist Paradigm?

Can you think of any criticisms/critiques of the Marxist

paradigm?

What do you think about Marxist assumptions? Are there

flaws?
 Critiques of the Marxist Paradigm
• There is no working model of advanced socialism that Marxists can point to
• Marxist view that capitalist societies comprise 2 monolithic classes & that all
conflict in society runs along class lines – criticized on basis that it is
incompatible with realities of contemporary societies
• Working class is divided & certainly not homogenous
• What about gender, ethnicity/race, etc.?
• Neo-Marxism (or CT) – has mitigated some of these critiques
 The End 
We are now more than halfway through the material that will be
covered on Midterm #2!