A welcome revival of badly needed social action

Opinion: The idea of a welfare state, what Michael Joseph Savage called “applied Christianity”, has morphed over the decades from its social action and charitable origins into a bureaucratic machine. Such machines tend to become distant and unresponsive. Accountability shifts from being to those in need to the government agency that may or may not provide help, as a human right becomes a privilege.

With this change, the relationship becomes transactional. It is increasingly understood as a contract to which people may or may not have entitlement and which creates dependency rather than empowerment. Charity continues as a supplement because need and generosity continue but social action that promotes change and empowerment is weakened in this process. In recent times as the inability of the state system and legacy charities to meet needs becomes more pressing we are seeing a welcome revival of social action.