ABSTRACT
The evidence discussed in this volume presents an overall picture of the social fund as a system of cash help which has been dislocated from its original objectives to provide targeted discretionary assistance to those in most need of help with lump sum and emergency expenses. The evidence has accumulated since 1988 from a broad range of sources (see Buck, 2000, Chapter 7, 'A Review of the Research'). As noted in Chapter 5 by Smith, the applicants' own experiences of the social fund are among the most important indicators of its overall lack of effectiveness. Empirical evidence of how both the users and producers of its delivery system actually experience the social fund has been examined by Rowe (Chapter 6) and Davidson (Chapter 7). Their conclusions support the view that its substantive flaws are amplified by the selective and discriminatory manner of the fund's administration.
