Serving the public or delivering public services? Religion and social welfare in the new British social policy landscape

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Religion appears as a dormant actor in British social policy, yet since the early 1990s its role in public service provision has become more prominent. What can a religious perspective bring to our understanding of human wellbeing - especially as the idea of the Big Society opens up new normative landscapes? In response, this article outlines some policy and practice issues, namely that religious welfare provision: is key to a more historically accurate account of British social policy; challenges utilitarian notions of wellbeing; is a potentially good example of the Big Society; and is able to reconcile its secular public service provision role with its religious identity and mission to serve the public.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)55-68
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Poverty and Social Justice
Volume20
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2012

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Serving the public or delivering public services? Religion and social welfare in the new British social policy landscape'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this