Abstract
Dignity and social security have been closely associated since at least the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, but there is a lack of clarity around what dignity means in this context. This article explores how two key stakeholders—out-of-work benefit recipients and policymakers—understand dignity in the context of social security, drawing on qualitative research with each group. The evidence presented notes a relative absence of direct references to dignity among policymakers, although related issues are nonetheless discussed, whereas benefit recipients commonly articulate experiences of undignified treatment and the negative impact this has on their lives. This article's exploration of dignity is of particular relevance to Scotland, where recent framework legislation includes the principle that their security system should be underpinned by “respect for the dignity of individuals.” The authors propose that a social security system that protects dignity must take account of distributional, relational, and intrinsic aspects of dignity—providing sufficient income, treating users with respect, and avoiding interventions or discourses that are disrespectful and dehumanizing. Further, the authors question whether it is possible for dignity to enjoy meaningful protection within highly disciplinary conditional welfare regimes.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 1-16 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Social Policy and Administration |
| Early online date | 13 Aug 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 13 Aug 2019 |
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Keywords
- social security
- Welfare state
- dignity
- Conditionality
- Devolution
- Scotland
- conditionality
- welfare
Cite this
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Conceptualising dignity in the context of social security: bottom-up and top-down perspectives. / Patrick, Ruth; Simpson, Mark.
In: Social Policy and Administration, 13.08.2019, p. 1-16.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Conceptualising dignity in the context of social security: bottom-up and top-down perspectives
AU - Patrick, Ruth
AU - Simpson, Mark
N1 - Two manuscripts have been uploaded one is the submitted version and one is the pre-copied edited version. The original one has been closed.
PY - 2019/8/13
Y1 - 2019/8/13
N2 - Dignity and social security have been closely associated since at least the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, but there is a lack of clarity around what dignity means in this context. This article explores how two key stakeholders—out-of-work benefit recipients and policymakers—understand dignity in the context of social security, drawing on qualitative research with each group. The evidence presented notes a relative absence of direct references to dignity among policymakers, although related issues are nonetheless discussed, whereas benefit recipients commonly articulate experiences of undignified treatment and the negative impact this has on their lives. This article's exploration of dignity is of particular relevance to Scotland, where recent framework legislation includes the principle that their security system should be underpinned by “respect for the dignity of individuals.” The authors propose that a social security system that protects dignity must take account of distributional, relational, and intrinsic aspects of dignity—providing sufficient income, treating users with respect, and avoiding interventions or discourses that are disrespectful and dehumanizing. Further, the authors question whether it is possible for dignity to enjoy meaningful protection within highly disciplinary conditional welfare regimes.
AB - Dignity and social security have been closely associated since at least the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, but there is a lack of clarity around what dignity means in this context. This article explores how two key stakeholders—out-of-work benefit recipients and policymakers—understand dignity in the context of social security, drawing on qualitative research with each group. The evidence presented notes a relative absence of direct references to dignity among policymakers, although related issues are nonetheless discussed, whereas benefit recipients commonly articulate experiences of undignified treatment and the negative impact this has on their lives. This article's exploration of dignity is of particular relevance to Scotland, where recent framework legislation includes the principle that their security system should be underpinned by “respect for the dignity of individuals.” The authors propose that a social security system that protects dignity must take account of distributional, relational, and intrinsic aspects of dignity—providing sufficient income, treating users with respect, and avoiding interventions or discourses that are disrespectful and dehumanizing. Further, the authors question whether it is possible for dignity to enjoy meaningful protection within highly disciplinary conditional welfare regimes.
KW - social security
KW - Welfare state
KW - dignity
KW - Conditionality
KW - Devolution
KW - Scotland
KW - conditionality
KW - welfare
UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/spol.12528
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85070767477&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/spol.12528
DO - 10.1111/spol.12528
M3 - Article
SP - 1
EP - 16
JO - Social Policy and Administration
T2 - Social Policy and Administration
JF - Social Policy and Administration
SN - 0144-5596
ER -