The Class Struggle and Welfare: Social Policy under Capitalism

A fresh look on the welfare system—with a view beyond the state

With The Class Struggle and Welfare, David Matthews argues that we must understand the welfare state as a dialectical phenomenon—a product of class struggle. Confronting the hypocritical rhetoric of politicians who castigate welfare beneficiaries as lazy and “workshy,” Matthews points to clear evidence that the welfare state is essential to the prosperity and health of capitalist economies. At the same time, in the Marxist tradi...