This is the first comprehensive analysis of public and private welfare in France available in English, or French, which offers a deeply-researched explanation of how Frances welfare state came to be and why the French are so attached to it. The author argues that France simultaneously pursued two different paths toward universal social protection. Family welfare embraced an industrial model in which class distinctions and employer control predominated. By contrast, protection against the risks of illness, disability, maternity, and old age followed a mutual aid model of welfare. The book examines a remarkably broad cast of actors that includes workers unions, employers, mutual leaders, the parliamentary elite, haut fonctionnaires, doctors, pronatalists, womens organizations - both social Catholic and feminist - and diverse peasant organisations. It also traces foreign influences on French social reform, particularly from Germanys former territories in Alsace-Lorraine and Britains Beveridge Plan.
Acknowledgements; 1. An industrial model of family welfare; 2. A mutual model for social insurance; 3. Battle for control of social welfare:: workers versus employers; 4. Challenges from city and countryside, 1930-1939; 5. Retrenchment and reform, 1939-1947; Bibliography; Index.
Comments (0)
Your review appreciation cannot be sent
Report comment
Are you sure that you want to report this comment?
Report sent
Your report has been submitted and will be considered by a moderator.