Extensive research presented in Good Times, Bad Times: the welfare myth of them and us contests the common perception that what most of the welfare state does is fund hand-outs to a minority of unemployed, feckless "spongers" who are content to live long-term on benefits.

In reality, research shows that people's lives are constantly changing as their income fluctuates from birth to old age. Most of us benefit from the welfare state at different points in our lives, getting back roughly what we paid in. John Hills2

Hills, Professor of Social Policy and Director of the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE|) at LSE, commented: "Our research clearly demonstrates that there is no 'them and us' – just us, and we all stand to lose out from the current misconceptions driving the welfare policy debate."

Key points of the book are:

Much of the current policy and political debate around ‘welfare’ is misconceived, conducted as if the central issues around the welfare state were about handouts to an unchanging welfare dependent minority – ‘them’ – paid for by an equally unchanging group of taxpayers – ‘us’.
In reality, research shows that people’s lives are constantly changing. People move in and out of work.The incomes of many in work change substantially from week to week and month to month. People’s positions change over their life cycles. People move in and out of poverty, and so many more are touched by it over a run of years than at any one time. Half of those going on to Job Seeker's Allowance leave it in no more than two months.
Most spending on the welfare state – and the source of its rising cost as the population ages – is on the NHS, education, and pensions, from which everyone benefits.This means that most people have a major stake in its operation – equivalent to the value of up to 25 years’ worth of average net annual incomes for a typical household.
As a result most of us benefit from the welfare state at some points in our lives, and pay towards it at others.
Only £1 in every £12.50 spent on the welfare state goes on benefits and tax credits for those who are currently out of work.
The result of these misconceptions is that one group of people find themselves at the sharp end of ‘welfare reforms’ designed to make substantial savings from what is in reality only a small part of the budget, leaving some in hardship.
But the misperception of who the system serves also means that choices are being made that fail to recognise the interests of the vast majority of us who have a large stake in it.

Notes

Good Times, Bad Times: the welfare myth of them and us is published by Policy Press on November 12^th 2014. http://www.policypress.co.uk/display.asp?K=9781447320036|

To interview Professor Hills please contact Joanna Bale, LSE Press Office on 07831 609679 or j.m.bale@lse.ac.uk|

LSE media studio has an ISDN line and Globelynx television broadcast facilities.

For a review copy of the book, please contact Kathryn King, Marketing Manager, Policy Press on 0117 954 5940 or Kathryn.King@bristol.ac.uk|

Professor John Hills gave a public lecture on the themes in his book on Wednesday 12 November. Podcasts and videos of LSE lectures are available to download here: Podcasts and Videos|.

12 November 2014