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Fig. 3.1  Changing attitudes to welfare provision. (Source: Revised from British Social Attitudes
Survey, 2013, Table 2-7)
3﻽3
New Reasons for Redistributive Justice
Despite the increasing dissatisfaction with the results and implementation of the
progressive policies from the 1970s it must not be forgotten that most western gov-
ernments continued to commit more money towards what can be broadly called so-
cial programmes. They use tax dollars to finance education, health, unemployment
programmes, although these budgets are increasingly under threat from escalating
costs, cut-cutting neo-liberal agendas and increases in user fees. Nevertheless, all
western states have extensive laws that are designed to create greater equality and
civil rights in society, as well as extensive social security measures in service provi-
sion and welfare etc., although the proportion of G.N.P. devoted to these measures
varies considerably in different nations. In addition, the deteriorating position of a
growing underclass, especially in the poorer inner city areas and social housing es-
tates, have led to increased efforts to solve the problems in many cities. Many have
been initiated by successful grass roots community movements against specific
problems that affect their areas, or stimulated by community organizers, especially
following Alinsky's ideas ( 1971 ). Others came from various policies by govern-
ments designed to mitigate the problems of either disadvantaged groups, such as
the homeless, or by special measures targeted at areas of high crime, poverty and
dysfunctional families. These areas are labelled in various ways as areas of disad-
vantage or priority areas, in which policies such as additional welfare measures,
new schooling initiatives, and tougher drug measures, are designed to reduce their
generational persistence. More generally, many studies have shown the negative
social effects of poverty inequalities, even in the developed world (Mount 2005 ;
Wilkinson and Pickett 2009 ).
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