ABSTRACT
In the twentieth century the most far-reaching change in the lives of ordinary people in both parts of Ireland was the development of universal public welfare. The availability of social benefits in times of unemployment, of healthcare in times of sickness and of adequate housing in times of need, transformed the lives of the great majority of people. It also transformed the public’s expectations of the state. It is now taken for granted that it is the duty of government to ensure that everyone has a decent standard of living. In the past, a moral case to look after the poor and distressed was recognized but welfare relied on individual or collective charity. There was no acknowledgement that welfare was a right of the individual rather than a duty of the wealthy. The modern idea of public welfare is based on entitlement and not on charity. It is mainly funded by taxation (compulsion) and not by charitable giving (choice). The most effective way of achieving basic welfare for everyone has been through forms of general taxation and social insurance in state-sponsored schemes. The term that emerged to describe this modern idea was ‘the Welfare State’.
