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Formulating the Matthew Principle: on the role of the middle classes in the welfare state
Author(s) -
Gal J.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 0907-2055
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2397.1998.tb00274.x
Subject(s) - middle class , welfare state , welfare , social policy , state (computer science) , social welfare , class (philosophy) , state policy , positive economics , public economics , sociology , political science , economics , law and economics , law , epistemology , mathematics , philosophy , politics , algorithm
The Matthew Principle, which formulates the role of the middle classes in the welfare state, is discussed in this article. The middle classes are described as primary beneficiaries of the welfare state. This status is achieved through the ability of this social group to influence the policy‐formulating process by way of six different channels of influence. It is also facilitated due to the impact of middle‐class clients upon the implementation stage of social policy. A case study of employment policy in Israel illustrates the workings of different aspects of the Matthew Principle.