The promise of social citizenship

Abstract

Much of the recent upsurge in writing about citizenship in Britain has been prompted by concerns about state welfare. It is often maintained that social rights are the weakest link in T. H. Marshall's trilogy of civil, political and social citizenship. This article considers arguments from different standpoints which claim to establish this position, and finds them wanting. However, there are problems with citizenship in any of its varieties: it is less inclusive a concept, even in theory, than many have thought, and needs to be buttressed by something external to it, namely sentiments of benevolence towards non-citizens and those whose citizenship is incomplete. The article looks at various ways of providing such buttressing, both from inside and outside the discourse on citizenship, and concludes that none of them are really satisfactory, given present and future challenges facing the welfare state. -Author