Социальное государство в Великобритании: формирование и функционирование

Abstract

The article describes the social policy system in the Great Britain that has been formed since 1942. The emergence of the social support measures and procedures for their provision are shown as well as an overview of the healthcare system and education system of the Great Britain is presented. Moreover, administrative elements of the British welfare state are studied and principles of funding social programs are reviewed. The article systematizes and summarizes information about social policy in the Great Britain. Political and social context of creating the British welfare state are identified. Literature on social security law is used, along with statistical reports of the state bodies of the Great Britain, analytical reviews, historic researches, special sources on the social policy. Comparative and historic methods were used, system analysis and structural functional analysis were applied. Legal and political aspects of the social policy were studied. As a result, creation of the universal provision of pensions is studied, along with free healthcare, benefits for the disabled, unemployed, family benefits, targeted payments; the British social programs’ coverage is shown. The research concludes that welfare state in the Great Britain emerged in the 1940-s, it was modernized in the 1970-s, and since 1980-s some adjustment and fine tuning of the social policy elements has taken place, with consideration of the global experience and social and political conditions. British social policy is one of the most efficient in the world, the system successfully solves the tasks that it faces. Several British solutions were borrowed by Russia in the past and could be utilized in the future.