Welfare and the state : who benefits?

'...a significant contribution to the 1990s debates on the kind of society to be struggled for into the 21st century.' - Australian Feminist Studies '...for a reader new to the debates about welfare and the state, this is an excellent introduction to the issues. For those familiar with this material, the book presents a strong argument for [a] broader analytical perspective...' - Australia and New Zealand Journal of Sociology Conventional texts on the welfare state have had a narrow gaze, focused mainly on benefits to the poor and relatively poor. Welfare and the State updates and broadens the classic debates on poverty, inequality and the nature of state. It focuses on the widest range of social policies, affecting the wealthy as well as the poor. It directs attention to gender, through examining women's welfare state and men's welfare state. It is concerned with the interests of those of non- dominant races both within nations and internationally. The results highlight the international applicability of the Matthew principle - 'to those that hath shall be given'.