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Freedom and the Welfare State: Theoretical Foundations*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2009

Robert E. Goodin
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Abstract

This essay critically assesses nine claims concerning freedom and the welfare state, the latter defined narrowly and the former broadly. On balance, the findings favour the welfare state. Allegations concerning its negative impact on freedom, where true, are contingently rather than inherently so. The positive impacts are more clearcut, and work to the benefit of citizens as a whole in addition to welfare recipients themselves.

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Journal of Social Policy , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , April 1982 , pp. 149 - 176
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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

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