Understanding the Finance of Welfare
What Welfare Costs and How to Pay for it

Assesses in detail the ways in which health care, personal social services, education, housing, pensions and social security are funded in the UK. This book explores the funding of western welfare states. It is suitable for students of public policy and economics and those training as teachers, medical students and social workers.

Much has happened to the funding of social policy and the economy since the first edition of this book, especially in pensions and social care. New devolved assemblies have taken responsibility for setting social policy and their funding has become an issue. In response, much of the book has been revised and all the figures and tables have been updated. "Understanding the Finance of Welfare" has been designed to fit the needs of social policy student syllabuses where it has become an essential text. It is also important to students of public policy and economics and those training as teachers, medical students and social workers. But it will also be of interest to the general public because there is no more important political topic today than how social services are funded.

Meeting basic human needs
Market failure and government failure
How to pay for social programmes? The tax constraint
Financing healthcare
Financing social care
Financing education
Financing income security
Financing housing
Rationing scarce resources: managing rising expectations
Do welfare states have a future?