Lecture 6-Marxist Approach to social welfare

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Lecture 6-Marxist Approach to social welfare

• By Yeung Sum.

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Marxism-

• Marxism is an approach to socialism and
  communism.
• the ideological basis for a structural model of
  welfare. Marx-each contribute to society
  according to his power and be rewarded by society
  according to their need

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the structural model-

• The ideal of the structural model-
• As compared to the Neo-Conservative the New
  Right the Anti-Collectivist
• To distribute the resources on the basis of need
  and
• the state assume total responsibility for the
  provision of welfare.

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Marxists view of capitalism-

• An unfair social relationship between the
  capitalists the workers (the proletariats )
  having an exploitative social relationship
• Worker treated as a factor of production
• Political and economic power rested mainly in the
  hands of the capitalists who own the means of
  production

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Marxists view of capitalism-

• Occupy most of the shares of wealth created
  collectively through the labour forces ( the
  surplus value) while the workers get the minor
  share of wealth being created
• The government in the capitalist system is biased
  towards the capitalists
• tend to protect serve their interests (the
  super-structure).

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Human emancipation-

• Political emancipation is not enough within
  capitalism
• Class struggles class conflicts serves as the
  central force to start
• revolution- to transform capitalist society
• to turn into a classless society-no exploitation
  
• The workers are free and emancipated only under
  communism.

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Human emancipation-

• Co-operative system of production and
• distribution to replace market and private
  property.
• Nationalization of the means of production and
  distribution
• Public ownership of enterprise property.

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Communal control of resources-

• Welfare-means communal control of resources and
• distribution according to need
• To set people free from exploitation and fulfill
  their needs aspiration of life.

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Central values-

• Central values- (V. George P. Wilding, 1985)
• Liberty,
• Equality
• fraternity.

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Liberty-

• A. Liberty- means the removal of obstacles to
  human emancipation
• Liberty-freedom to actualise themselves.
• Strachey-"the opportunity to work, to earn, and
  to live, and also to improve and develop
  themselves by study and to enjoy themselves."

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Liberty-

• Collective action, revolution to do away
  obstacles for self- actualisation
• Equality and liberty are seen parts of a whole.

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Equality-

• B. Equality- Laski-
• Equality means the absence of special privilege
  and
• adequate opportunities to all.

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Equality-

• Economic equality is a pre-condition
• Nationalization of the means of production and
  distribution
• Laski-not for equality of income
• Argued for the 'civic minimum' and then
  differential rewards to different efforts or
  ability
• Economic equality as a pre-condition for
  political equality

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Equality-

• Laski-"political equality...is never real
• unless it is accompanied by virtual economic
  equality political power, otherwise, is bound to
  be the handmaid
• of economic power."

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Fraternity-

• C. Fraternity- brotherhood sisterhood bondage
  of human relationship
• harmonious and co-operative relationship among
  people
• -reinforce the spirits of a cooperative system
  of production and distribution.

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Fraternity-

• Arblaster -" recognises men's need to each other,
  and suggest that a good society will be one in
  which there are no longer any barriers to prevent
  men and women from living harmoniously and
  cooperatively with each other."

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Democratic participation-

• Industrial and parliamentary democracy.
• Rosa Luxemburg- without general elections,
  without unrestricted freedom of press and
  assembly, without a free struggle of opinion,
  life dies out in every public institution,
  becomes a mere semblance of life in which only
  the bureaucracy remains as the active element."

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Fabian the Marxist approaches-

• Difference between the Fabian and the Marxist
  approaches-
• a. Parliamentary (within the system through
  policy debates) extra-parliamentary means
  (outside the system )
• b. revolution (drastic changes by force
  violence in a short period of time) and social
  reform (moderate gradual changes within the
  system itself by non-violent means over a ling
  period of time )

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Fabian the Marxist approaches-

• c. Social reform-strategy for transformation
  maintenance of status quo.
• d. Role of government-a central role in
  nationalization of production and distribution
  democratic government with market economy
• Collective welfare institutional
  welfare/residual welfare

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Comments of Marxism-

• a. Lack of Democracy One-party rule
• b. Central planning of Economy
• c. People's false consciousness
• d. drastic change of the structure of society
  (K. Popper, 1966)-incremental change by trail
  error approach

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The capitalist welfare state-

• Welfare Capitalism (T.H. Marshall, 1963)- Main
  features-
• a. Institutional system of welfare
• b. Private property and market economy
• c. Individuals rights
• d. Competition and mutual support
• e. Rule of Law and
• f. Democracy

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Marxism in Hong Kong welfare system-

• Lack of the Leftist political party the bases
  of Class Revolution-
• Economically- Not popular
• due to Open society Individualism
• Market economy
• Free competition ownership of private property

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Marxism in Hong Kong welfare system-

• Politically- the lack of the strong Leftist
  political party-the League of Social Democrats-
  not advocating for class revolution overthrowing
  the Capitalism in Hong Kong
• The low income groups aspire to become the middle
  income groups through social mobility

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Marxism in Hong Kong welfare system-

• Experience in PRC.- After the market economy
  approach in 1978, PRC has become a raising
  economic power in the
• world experiencing wide-spread economic
  development and improvement of peoples
  livelihood especially in urban cities
• - What happened in June 4 1989-reminds people in
  Hong Kong that without political reform, only
  through economic reform wouldnt turn the PRC
  into an Open society (k. Popper, 1946)

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Marxism in Hong Kong welfare system-

• Culturally- the Chinese tradition in Hong Kong
  self-reliance familism (the Asian Pacific
  , 2001)
• people in recent years have more expectation on
  government to improve their quality of life
  through social policy
• yet not through class revolution to achieve their
  goals.

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Basic Law on Welfare system-

• Basic Law to maintain the Capitalism
• to maintain the present welfare system under the
  high degree of self-autonomy
• with liberty freedom
• To develop social welfare according to economic
  development and to meet social needs.

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Marxisms impact on Social policy-

• Contribution of Marxism to social policy-
• Critical of capitalismroom for improvement
• Focus on peoples material well-being
• Industrial democracy in the work-place-promoting
  the Trade Union movement

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References-

• V. George P. wilding, Ideology Social
  Welfare, The Marxism, 1985.
• K. Popper , Open Society its Enemy,
• 1946 (reprinted in 2006).