Major Political Philosophies and their effect on Society

                                                                      

1) CAPITALISM

It is also referred as Laissez-Faire – ‘Individualism’

-Private property is a natural right of man

-‘Individual’ knows best his own interest & how to pursue it

-In pursuing his own interest ‘individual’ also serves the common interest.

-Govt. should not interfere in economic affairs

-Govt. should intervene to establish ‘free trade’ in foreign commerce, to promote competition…

-Free competition in the pursuit of wealth is the only way of conserving the effects of a natural selection & survival of the fittest

-Those who benefit from a competitive pursuit of economic gain are more numerous than those who suffer.

2) COMMUNISM

The mode of production in material life determines the general character of social, political & spiritual process of life. Since the establishment of private property, the society has been divided into two hostile economic classes

The primary reasons for this antagonism is that the capitalist class, through its ownership of means of production, is able to appropriate the ‘surplus value’ created by labour

A social revolution is inevitable because of concentration of capital in fewer hands & proliferation of the proletariats, who will at its climax overthrow the capitalist class and a dictatorship of the proletariat, will follow resulting the highest intensification of State…

 Ultimately, the state will wither away, In the new society each man will contribute to the social wealth by his labour as much he can, and will take from it what he needs.

3) SOCIALISM

The Fabian Socialists [Recardian theory: The rent of a given piece of landis in general the equivalent of its superior advantages- in site, fertility or resources- over the worst available land]

Value is the creation of society rather than of labourers, under the unregulated competitive system a capitalist retains the superior yield of his capital, which is due not to his superior ability but to the location of his business Investment alone confers no valid title to income.

The conflict is not between those who work for wages and those who employ wage-workers; it is between the community and those who grow rich through investment

Thus the object of socialism is to obtain for members of the society the values which society creates by gradually transferring land and industrial capital to the community, while making the state fully representative of the community.

Major theoretical positions

Capitalism                                                                                                    Nature of state

ANTI-COLLECTIVISM                                                                           Residual State

NON-SOCIALIST WELFARE COLLECTIVISM                                   Reformism

 Socialism

FABIAN SOCIALISM                                                                              Reformism

RADICAL SOCIAL ADMINISTRATION                                              Reformism

Communism                                    

POLITICAL ECONOMY OF WELFARE                                               Totalitarian State

Explanation in Brief:

1) Anti-collectivism

- Freedom of the individual / Individualism

- Freedom to act in the market economy enables a person to stand on one’s own feet and then state welfare becomes unnecessary for the majority  

- Individual freedom is limited through the imposed burden of taxation necessary to fund state welfare, by planning and rent control etc.

- State welfare services are wasteful and inefficient since they do not face any competition and are not controlled by any cost effective principles

- State welfare bureaucracies have created self-interested groups of professionals who demand that the growth of the welfare state be maintained

Way out suggested are: 1) to provide privately based welfare,

            2) Contracting out to the private sector of parts of the welfare services and

            3) The application of market principles within state welfare provision.

2) Non-socialist Welfare Collectivism

- They see warts on capitalism’s face (Disease, Want, Ignorance, Unemployment etc.) and believe that with judicious state warts can be removed

- State intervention in this way is also seen as promoting stability and maintaining capitalism more effectively

- Emphasize a mixed economy of welfare and decentralization and participation.

3) Fabian Socialism

- Their argument against capitalism is moral one: it is unethical, unjust and undemocratic, but it can be transformed. Central to this transformation is the welfare state, so for Fabian socialists, capitalism is not an ugly face, but a tiger needs to be tamed and transformed

- Fabian socialists argue strongly for the state as the source of welfare provision, as against the private sector, which they see as catering to the rich rather than the poor.  

4) Radical Social Administration

- They Go beyond Fabian gradualism as their analysis implies the need for transformation of social structure

- They employ a structuralist analysis of social problems. But at the same time lean back to the idealism of the Fabian socialists to explain change.

5) The Political Economy of Welfare

The political economy approach sees the development of welfare under capitalism as the result of conflict between the classes: the working class and capitalist class

An explanatory account of different welfare perspectives:

1) Anti-collectivism

a) Social problems explained in terms of

- Individual failure or inadequacy

- Changes effected by Individual action

- Method: Individualist

b) Principle of distribution of state welfare provision

- Extremely selective,

- Otherwise through choice in the private market 

c) Relationship between economic policy and social policy

- Freedom of the market dominates

2) Non-socialist welfare collectivism

a) Social problems explained in terms of

- Individual failure plus dysfunctioning of economy

- Changes effected by Pressure group action; fostering collective commitment to national interest

- Method: Idealist

b) Principle of distribution of state welfare provision

- Some universalism, some selectivity

c) Relationship between economic policy and social policy

- Social policy compensates for and supports economic policy

3) Fabian socialism

a) Social problems explained in terms of

- Dysfunctions of capitalism, maladministration of welfare state

- Changes effected by Fostering collectivist and moral values of equality, fraternity, altruism

- Method: Idealist

b) Principle of distribution of state welfare provision

- Universal needs-based

c) Relationship between economic policy and social policy

- Social policy influences economic policy to become more socially responsible

4) Radical social administration

a) Social problems explained in terms of

- Structure, class relations and misdistribution within capitalism

- Changes effected by Transformation of state by fostering social values to press for radical state action

- Method: Idealist / structuralist

b) Principle of distribution of state welfare provision

- Universal needs-based

c) Relationship between economic policy and social policy

- Unification of social and economic policy through social planning to redress inequality

5) Political economy of welfare

a) Social problems explained in terms of

- Conflicting interests between working class needs and capitalist’s needs

- Changes effected by Class struggles to change economic production resulting from conflict between capital and labour

- Method: Materialist / structuralist.

b) Principle of distribution of state welfare provision

- Universal needs-based

c) Relationship between economic policy and social policy

- Irreconcilable conflict under capitalism. Under socialism, economy to serve human needs.

By  Ishan Pendam

References:

1)      R.N. Titmas, “What is Social Policy?” in Social Policy: An Introduction, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London (1974), pp.22-34.

2)      Fiona Williams, “Perspective of Welfare: The Existing, but Inadequate Theoretical Basis of Social Policy” in Social Policy: A Critical Introduction, Policy Press, New York (1989), pp.13-17.