Kwame Nkrumah University of

Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

Social Welfare Provision

Concept, Models & Methods

Name: Prof. Esme Manful

Department: Sociology & Social Work
Faculty & College: FoSS/CoHSS
SOWK 259
30/01/24
 Expected Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lecture the student should be able to:
A. Describe the four components of the concept of social
welfare
B. Distinguish between the five features of social welfare
system
C. Explain the five models of social welfare provision
D. Appraise the methods employed to deliver social welfare
services in Ghana
E. Apply the models of social welfare provision to
contemporary Ghanaian social issues
 Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• Survival needs: nourishment, rest, warmth.

• Security needs: preservation of life and sense of security;

employment and assets.

• Social needs: to be part of a group and to love and to be loved;

family, friendship, intimacy and belonging.

• Esteem needs: approval, respect, acceptance, appreciation.

• Self actualization needs: to be able to fulfill our fullest potential.

 Conceptualisation of Social Welfare

Political Social
Domain Domain

Ideological Economic
Input Social Domain
Welfare
System
 Ideological Input
What is an ideology?
• ‘a reasonably coherent structure of thought shared by a
group of people. It is a means of explaining how society
works and of explaining how it ought to work’ (Bentley
et al., 1995)
• ‘broadly understood as referring to the worldview a
person has that is the sum total of their culture, values,
beliefs, assumptions, common sense, and expectations
for themselves and of others’ (Cole, 2016)
 Ideological Input cont.
Functions
• Explanatory: they provide explanations for the facts
and problems of the social life, so enabling individuals
and groups to orientate themselves in society.
• Evaluative: they identify the “goods” and the “bads” of
the social life.
• Provision of guidelines for action: in order to improve
the social conditions, an individual has to act on his
ideological convictions and values.
 Political Domain
Type of political system
Governance system determines the process of policies and programmes
development to address welfare issues

A. Democratic political systems

Individuals and groups are part of decision making hence their views
influences the type of policies enacted.

B. Autocratic political systems

Participation is limited to those who govern. Hence, policies are passed
without soliciting views of stakeholders and expenditures are made
solely in the interest of those who govern.
 Economic Domain
1. Mode of Production: e.g. agrarian society vs industrial society will have different
modes of welfare
2. Level of Productivity in Society:
• labour productivity - quantity (population size, structure) and quality (education
and skill level, orientation to work) - wealth of nation (Gross National Product
GNP);
3. Government Financial Policy & Situation
• source of revenue - tax base, tax structure & policy;
• higher tax can finance more welfare;
4. Citizens' Mode of Consumption:
• culture, value system, family functioning....etc.
• greater personal saving will reduce government’s welfare burden
 Social Domain
1. Population
• numbers & structure ("dependency ratio", productivity);
• quality (education, skill, technology, work ethic ... etc);
• a more productive population may produce higher GDP to finance more welfare;
2. Social Structure:
• family structure and functions;
• civic organizations (e.g. trade unions/ professional associations, pressure groups,
religious organizations);
• stratification - along property, prestige, power;
3. Culture
• value system, norms, moral standards, traditions; religions;
• a ‘self-reliant’ culture may reduce demand for government welfare
 Characteristics of a Social Welfare Programme

❖ risks to be protected against,

❖ The population covered,
❖ eligibility criteria ,
❖ levels of benefits,
❖ manner of financing, and
❖ administrative procedures.
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 Five Features of a Social Welfare System
1. Functional generalization: - to meet different aspects of society
need;
2. Direct focus on human consumption (e.g. housing, medical service,
etc.)
3. Organization - delivered through organizations (government &
NGOs);
4. Social sponsorship & accountability - service providers answerable to
funding sources (government & donations), to provide quality
service;
5. Non-profit motive [ though sometimes fees are paid for services ]
 Social Welfare Models
• Residual
Features
❑proponents of this approach are usually referred to as conservative
❑individual’s needs should be met through the family and/or through the
market economy
❑intervention has to be on merit
❑deemed as a privilege and not a right
❑viewed as a safety net
❑temporary
❑stigma is attached, it is curative.
❖ Programmes developed as a reaction to unmet needs
 Models cont.
• Institutional
Features
• proponents of this approach are usually referred to as liberals
–legitimate function of modern society
–universal entitlement
–no stigma attached, it is preventative

❖ programmes developed as an accepted way of fulfilling

social needs
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 Models cont.
• Neoconservative
Features
–Agree with Residualist
–Have a more aggressive drive to bring the market economy
into social welfare
– Believe social welfare is good for business
❖Under this approach social needs are to be addressed by
economic forces
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 Models cont.
• Developmental
1ST School of thought Features
❑Proponents mainly from the global north
❑Agree with Institutionalist
❑Assume that it is possible for society to set up a social welfare
institution simply to make living better not necessarily to solve a
problem
❑Society needs to be proactive in addressing issues in society to
ensure social wellbeing
❖ Emphasis is on primary prevention where they advocate for all
programmes to be universal and non-selective
 Developmental cont.
2nd School of thought Features
❑Spearheaded by James Midgley
❑Seeks to identify interventions that have a positive impact on
economic developments
❑Focused on the type of social welfare services during the
colonial period

❖Programmes to improve wellbeing are embedded in

economic frameworks
 Social Welfare Delivery Methods
• Universality and Selectivity are methods to achieve the Social Welfare
Models

▪ Universal benefits/services are benefits available to everyone as a

right, or at least to whole categories of people (e.g. old people,
women or children).
– can reach everyone on the same terms eg. public services, roads

▪ Selective benefits/services are reserved for people in need.

– more efficient: less money is spent to better effect
 Selective Services: Residual/neoconservative
• Means tested
• Eligibility & benefit levels are determined on a case
by case basis
• Financial assistance not a right
• Benefits paid from general revenue
• State control is important

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 Advantages of selective programmes
• Limitation on cost

• Society does not pay for services if it can be

afforded privately

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 Universal Services: Institutional /Developmental

Available for all. e.g. public education, health social

insurance.
• They are quality services that attracts all categories of
people.
• No stigma attached.
–e.g. Free SHS

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 Advantages of Universal Programmes
• Difficult to find fair formula to administer selective
programmes

• Universal programmes tend to improve itself once they are

established.

• Selective programmes have limited constituency

• Universal programmes limits stigma

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 Changing Concepts of Social Welfare
▪ From residual to institutional
▪ From charity to citizen right
▪ From special services to universal services
▪ From minimum resources to optimal social
environments
▪ From individual to social reform
▪ From voluntary to public and private
▪ From social welfare to Social Development
 Contemporary issues - Discussions
1. Petroleum Subsidies
2. Services for autistic children
3. Treating HIV / AIDS patients free of charge
4. Nation Builders Corps (NABCO)
5. Women participation in politics
6. Rail transportation

(State the Models that favour each of the above)

 Bibliography
• Day, Phyllis J. (1997) A New History of Social Welfare. Boston, MA:
Allyn and Bacon.
• Dolgoff, Ralph and Feldstein, Donald (2003) Understanding Social
Welfare. 6th ed., Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
• Marx, J. D., Broussard, C. A., Hopper, F. A., & Worster, D. (2011). Social
Work and Social Welfare. Boston, USA: Pearson Education Inc.
• Hansan, J.E. (2017). What is social welfare history? Social Welfare
History Project.
Retrievedfrom http://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/recollections/social
-welfare-history
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