Social Welfare Approach

Social welfare is an area of public policy concerned with the welfare of individuals and families. The social welfare approach is based on the belief that individuals and families are the best people to make decisions about their own lives and that the government should help them. The social welfare approach is also based on the belief that all people are entitled to some level of assistance from the government if they cannot provide for themselves (Ayala & Bárcena-Martín, 2017).

The social welfare system in Ireland has evolved from a protection-only focus to one that emphasizes investment. The shift is driven by several factors, including the changing nature of the workforce, globalization, and the rising cost of living (Dundar Aravacik, 2018).

The changing nature of the workforce has resulted in more people working in the informal economy and precarious jobs. It has made it more difficult for people to access traditional social welfare benefits, such as unemployment benefits. Globalization has also resulted in more people migrating to Ireland to search for work. This has put pressure on the social welfare system, as migrants are often not eligible for benefits.

The rising cost of living has also made it difficult for people to make ends meet. This has led to an increase in people relying on social welfare benefits, such as food stamps and housing subsidies. The social welfare system has responded to these challenges by increasing the money it spends on benefits and introducing new benefits, such as the working family payment.

The social welfare system in Ireland is now more focused on investment than protection. This shift is driven by the changing nature of the workforce, globalization, and the rising cost of living. The social welfare system has responded to these challenges by increasing the money it spends on benefits and introducing new benefits, such as the working family payment.

The welfare system in Ireland is designed to protect citizens from financial hardship and to promote social inclusion. It is based on the principle of social solidarity, which means that everyone is responsible for contributing to the community’s welfare. Ireland’s welfare system of social protection is one of the most comprehensive and generous in the world. It provides a safety net of income support and basic services for those who are unable to work or who are unable to earn a sufficient income.

The welfare system is funded through general taxation and is means-tested. This means that only those with a low income are eligible for benefits. There are several different benefits available, including unemployment benefits, child benefits, and disability benefits.

The main pillars of the Irish welfare system are (Citizensinformation. i.e., 2020):

1. Universal benefits: these are benefits that are available to all eligible individuals regardless of their employment status. Examples include child benefits, the state pension, and the health service.
2. Means-tested benefits are targeted at individuals and families on low incomes or unemployed. Examples include jobseeker’s allowance and supplementary welfare allowance.
3. In-work benefits: these benefits are available to individuals who are in employment but who are on low incomes. Examples include the working family payment and the back-to-work family dividend.

The welfare system, however, has come under increasing strain in recent years, as the economic downturn has led to a rise in the number of people claiming benefits. However, the Irish government has committed to protecting the welfare system and ensuring that it remains sustainable in the long term.

The Irish welfare system is not perfect, but it does provide a safety net for those who need it. It is important to remember that the system is there to help those most vulnerable in society and that we all have a responsibility to contribute to it.

On the other hand, The Irish welfare system is a social investment system that provides various forms of financial assistance and support to individuals and families in need. It is administered by the Department of Social Protection and is funded by taxpayers (Aber et al., 2013).

The Irish welfare system is constantly evolving in response to changing economic and social circumstances. In recent years, several reforms have been aimed at making the system more efficient and effective (Jenson & Saint-Martin, 2020).

There are four pillars of social welfare investment:

1. Social insurance: This includes government-sponsored programs like Social Security and Medicare, which provide financial protection to individuals and families in the event of retirement, disability, or death.
2. Income support includes programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provide financial assistance to low-income individuals and families.
3. Health care includes programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provide affordable health care for low-income individuals and families.
4. Education and training: This includes programs like the G.I. Bill and Head Start, which provide access to education and training opportunities for low-income individuals and families.

The social investment approach to welfare is based on the principle that investing in people can improve society’s social and economic outcomes. It is an approach that has been adopted by several other countries, including the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Canada.

The Irish government has been gradually moving towards a social investment approach recently. In 2016, it published a National Social Investment Framework outlining the government’s plans to increase investment.

Welfare systems can be broadly categorized as either protection-only or investment-oriented. Protection-oriented welfare systems provide benefits and services to those in need to mitigate the impact of economic hardship or life events such as unemployment, ill health, disability, or old age. Investment-oriented welfare systems, in contrast, focus on using public funds to invest in people and their well-being to improve long-term social and economic outcomes, or it can be said it focuses on investing in programs that will help people become more self-sufficient.

Several factors have driven the evolution of welfare systems from a protection-only focus to also include an investment orientation. In many developed countries, Iris is one of them; welfare states were initially designed to provide a safety net for those in need. However, as societies have become more complex and social and economic risks have changed, the role of welfare states has shifted from simply providing a safety net to promoting social and economic inclusion.

One driver is the changing nature of work, with more people working in the gig economy or as freelancers. One of the biggest challenges facing income security programs is that they often fail to adequately address the needs of gig economy workers or freelancers (Kennefick, Healy, and Wade, 2021). This is because these workers often don’t have traditional employer-employee relationships and may not have a consistent income stream. This can make it difficult for them to access income security programs like unemployment insurance. There is a greater need for programs that provide income security. Another driver is the increasing cost of living, making it more difficult for people to make ends meet.

Furthermore, another key driver for this change has been the economic crisis of the early 21st century and the resulting austerity measures (Daly, 2019). Before the crisis, the Irish welfare state was generous and focused on protecting the most vulnerable citizens. However, the crisis led to a sharp decrease in government revenue, forcing the government to cut spending on social welfare programs. In response to the crisis, the Irish government enacted a series of austerity measures, including cuts to welfare benefits and increases in taxes. These measures have decreased the standard of living for many citizens, particularly those on low incomes.

Some policy measures can illustrate this shift from protection to investment. For example, in education (Hughes, 2021), many countries have introduced free or subsidized early childhood education and care to promote social and economic inclusion. In health, many countries have introduced universal healthcare systems to ensure everyone has access to primary health care. In the area of employment, many countries have introduced active labor market policies aimed at helping those who are unemployed to find and keep jobs (Charles Edward Lindblom, 1959).

The Irish welfare system provides some examples of policy measures that promote social and economic inclusion (Alcock, 2020). In the area of education, the Irish government provides free primary and secondary education, as well as subsidized third-level education. In the area of health, the Irish government provides universal health care through the public health system. In the area of employment, the Irish government has introduced some active labor market policies aimed at helping those who are unemployed to find and keep jobs. These policies include training programmers, work experience placements, and JobBridge, a national internship scheme.

In conclusion, the social welfare system in Ireland has evolved from a protection-only focus to one that emphasizes investment. This shift is driven by several factors, including the changing nature of the workforce, globalization, and the rising cost of living. The social welfare system has responded to these challenges by increasing the money it spends on benefits and introducing new benefits, such as the working family payment.

The Irish welfare system is designed to protect citizens from financial hardship and to promote social inclusion. It is based on the principle of social solidarity, which means that everyone is responsible for contributing to the community’s welfare. Ireland’s welfare system of social protection is one of the most comprehensive and generous in the world. It provides a safety net of income support and basic services for those who are unable to work or who are unable to earn a sufficient income.

The main pillars of the Irish welfare system are universal basic income support, means-tested social assistance, and targeted support for specific groups. The Irish welfare system is constantly evolving in response to changing economic and social circumstances. In recent years, some reforms have been aimed at making the system more efficient and effective.

The social investment approach to welfare is based on the principle that investing in people can improve society’s social and economic outcomes. It is an approach that has been adopted by some other countries, including the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Canada. The Irish government has been gradually moving towards a social investment approach recently. In 2016, it published a National Social Investment Framework outlining the government’s plans to increase investment (Wilson, 2012).

Overall, the Irish welfare system provides a safety net for those who need it and is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of society.

Reference list

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Alcock, P. (2020). The student’s companion to social policy [electronic resource]. Wiley-Blackwell.

Ayala, L. and Bárcena-Martín, E. (2017). A social welfare approach for measuring welfare protection. The Journal of Economic Inequality, 16(1), pp.41–59. doi:10.1007/s10888-017-9361-y.

Charles Edward Lindblom (1959). The Science of ‘muddling Through.’

Citizensinformation.ie (2020). Social welfare system in Ireland. [online] www.citizensinformation.ie. Available at: https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/social_welfare_system_in_ireland.html#:~:text=Payments%20based%20on%20your%20social [Accessed 6 Nov. 2022].

Daly, M. (2019). Ireland. Welfare and the Great Recession, pp.115–131. doi:10.1093/oso/9780198830962.003.0007.

Dundar Aravacik, E. (2018). Social Policy and the Welfare State. Public Economics and Finance [Working Title]. [online] doi:10.5772/intechopen.82372.

Economic And Social Research Institute and Ireland. Combat Poverty Agency (2020). Poverty and the social welfare system in Ireland : a report. Dublin: Combat Poverty Agency.

Hughes, J. (2021). Nothing of Benefit: A Response to ‘The Rise and Fall and Rise of Academic Selection: The Case of Northern Ireland’ by Martin Brown et al. International Affairs, [online] 32(2), pp.499–502. doi:10.1353/isia.

Jenson, J. and Saint-Martin, D. (2020). New Routes to Social Cohesion? Citizenship and the Social Investment State. Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, 28(1), p.77. doi:10.2307/3341876.

Kennefick, L., Healy, D. and Wade, N. (2021). Understanding Probation Supervision in Ireland. Probation Quarterly, 22, pp.8–12. doi:10.54006/feyt1610.

McNally, G, & Brennan, A 2015, ‘Community Return: A Unique Opportunity, Irish Probation Journal, 12, pp. 141–159, UK & Ireland Reference Centre, EBSCOhost

Sabatier, P.A. (1986). Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches to Implementation Research: a Critical Analysis and Suggested Synthesis. Journal of Public Policy, [online] 6(01), p.21. doi:10.1017/s0143814x00003846.

Wilson, W. (2012). Irish economy to recover gradually in 2012, 2013 – think-tank. Reuters. [online] 24 Feb. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-irish-growth-esri-idUKTRE81N00D20120224 [Accessed 6 Nov. 2022].