Incorporating crucial current debates and illustrations, the author explores:
• distinctions between different types and levels of need;
• how different approaches are reflected in different sorts of policy goals;
• debates about the relationship between needs, rights and welfare;
• contested thinking about needs in relation to caring, disadvantage and humanity.
Fully revised and updated, this new edition pays due regard to the shifting nature of welfare ideologies and welfare regimes. Offering essential insights for students of social policy, it will also be of interest to other social science disciplines, policy makers and political activists.