The Beveridge Report of 1942 captured the public imagination with its principles of universal social insurance. This book considers the influence of Beveridge's ideas on social security and argues that the reality has been very different from the principles and the vision he expressed.

The authors generally conclude that there has, in Britain, been 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 as well as economic convergence. Contributors: John Hills, John Ditch, Howard Glennerster, Brian Abel-Smith, Jose Harris, Peter Baldwin, Martin Evans, John Macnicol, John Veit-Wilson, Rodney Lowe, Fritz Grundger, Maciej Zukowski, Saskia Klosse, Teun Jaspers, Mies Westerveld, Abraham Doron, Tor E. Eriksen, Edward E. Palmer, Bettina Cass, John Freeland

Introduction. John Hills, John Ditch, and Howard Glennerster The Beveridge Report: Its Origins and Outcomes. Brian Abel-Smith Beveridge's Social and Political Thought. Jose Harris Beveridge in the Longue Duree. Peter Baldwin Beveridge and his Assumptive Worlds: The Incompatibilities of a Flawed Design. Howard Glennerster and Martin Evans Beveridge and Old Age. John Macnicol Condemned to Deprivation? Beveridge's Responsibility for the Invisibility of Poverty. John Veit-Wilson A Prophet Dishonoured in his Own Country? The Rejection of Beveridge in Britain 1945-70. Rodney Lowe Beveridge meets Bismarck: Echo, Effects, and Evaluation of the Beveridge Report in Germany. Fritz Grundger Pensions Policy in Poland after 1945: Between 'Bismarck' and 'Beveridge' Traditions. Maciej Zukowski Beveridge Fifty Years On: Second Youth or Early Retirement? Saskia Klosse, Teun Jaspers, and Mies Westerveld The Effectiveness of the Beveridge Model at Different Stages of Socio-economic Development: The Israeli Experience. Abraham Doron The Deterioration of the Swedish Pension Model. Tor E Eriksen and Edward E Palmer Social Security and Full Employment in Australia: The Rise and Fall of the Keynesian Welfare State
The Search for a Post-Keynesian Settlement. Bettina Cass and John Freeland.