Insights from the Historical Lived Experience of a Fragmented Economy of Welfare in Britain: Poverty, Precarity and the Peck Family 1928–1950
We draw upon a ‘small history’ of one family to throw light on lived experience of welfare in the past, and consider how it may provide some glimpses into what Britain’s current economy of welfare trajectory could mean, where the state welfare safety net has holes and a...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-02-01
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| Series: | Genealogy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/4/1/20 |
| _version_ | 1811318876672098304 |
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| author | Rosalind Edwards Val Gillies |
| author_facet | Rosalind Edwards Val Gillies |
| author_sort | Rosalind Edwards |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We draw upon a ‘small history’ of one family to throw light on lived experience of welfare in the past, and consider how it may provide some glimpses into what Britain’s current economy of welfare trajectory could mean, where the state welfare safety net has holes and an ad hoc charitable safety net is being constructed beneath them. Using archived case notes from the Charity Organisation Society across the interwar period to the comprehensive welfare state, we discuss one family’s negotiation of poverty and the fragmented economy of welfare involving nascent state provision and a safety net of myriad charitable bodies, and the need to be judged as respectable and worthy. While lived experience of inequalities of assessment criteria, provision and distribution provide some indication for the potential trajectory of contemporary welfare in Britain, towards fragmented localised settlements, the small history also reveals a muted story of alternatives and reliability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T12:32:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aee2a886ec1a43e1943fb105a0cd802f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2313-5778 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T12:32:52Z |
| publishDate | 2020-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Genealogy |
| spelling | doaj.art-aee2a886ec1a43e1943fb105a0cd802f2022-12-22T02:46:45ZengMDPI AGGenealogy2313-57782020-02-01412010.3390/genealogy4010020genealogy4010020Insights from the Historical Lived Experience of a Fragmented Economy of Welfare in Britain: Poverty, Precarity and the Peck Family 1928–1950Rosalind Edwards0Val Gillies1Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UKSocial Sciences, University of Westminster, London W1T 3UW, UKWe draw upon a ‘small history’ of one family to throw light on lived experience of welfare in the past, and consider how it may provide some glimpses into what Britain’s current economy of welfare trajectory could mean, where the state welfare safety net has holes and an ad hoc charitable safety net is being constructed beneath them. Using archived case notes from the Charity Organisation Society across the interwar period to the comprehensive welfare state, we discuss one family’s negotiation of poverty and the fragmented economy of welfare involving nascent state provision and a safety net of myriad charitable bodies, and the need to be judged as respectable and worthy. While lived experience of inequalities of assessment criteria, provision and distribution provide some indication for the potential trajectory of contemporary welfare in Britain, towards fragmented localised settlements, the small history also reveals a muted story of alternatives and reliability.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/4/1/20povertycharity organisation societysmall historyeconomy of welfarelived experiencewelfare safety net |
| spellingShingle | Rosalind Edwards Val Gillies Insights from the Historical Lived Experience of a Fragmented Economy of Welfare in Britain: Poverty, Precarity and the Peck Family 1928–1950 Genealogy poverty charity organisation society small history economy of welfare lived experience welfare safety net |
| title | Insights from the Historical Lived Experience of a Fragmented Economy of Welfare in Britain: Poverty, Precarity and the Peck Family 1928–1950 |
| title_full | Insights from the Historical Lived Experience of a Fragmented Economy of Welfare in Britain: Poverty, Precarity and the Peck Family 1928–1950 |
| title_fullStr | Insights from the Historical Lived Experience of a Fragmented Economy of Welfare in Britain: Poverty, Precarity and the Peck Family 1928–1950 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Insights from the Historical Lived Experience of a Fragmented Economy of Welfare in Britain: Poverty, Precarity and the Peck Family 1928–1950 |
| title_short | Insights from the Historical Lived Experience of a Fragmented Economy of Welfare in Britain: Poverty, Precarity and the Peck Family 1928–1950 |
| title_sort | insights from the historical lived experience of a fragmented economy of welfare in britain poverty precarity and the peck family 1928 1950 |
| topic | poverty charity organisation society small history economy of welfare lived experience welfare safety net |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/4/1/20 |
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