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Individualist/Collectivist debate Evaluate the view that government should be responsible for tackling social inequality (12) One viewpoint that would argue that the government should not be responsible for tackling social inequality is the individualist viewpoint. Many would argue that the focused spending of the government budgets into the Welfare State and the NHS is getting increasingly hard to keep up with. For example, in 2017, the government spent £264 billion on the Welfare State. Also, the NHS currently costs the government over £2 billion per week and still, over 240 NHS trusts are in debt of up to £7.4 billion with the Department of Health and Social Care. As a result, a huge amount of money is being diverted from the use of the criminal justice system. In order to fund the NHS and the Welfare State, money is being taken out of the budget of the justice system, leading in cuts for the funding of courts and authorities. The Conservative budget cuts have led to the cut of 21,000 police officers in 2017 and this led to a 14% increase of crime in the same year. Therefore, individualists would argue that it is not the responsibility of the government to provide benefits and health care and that this money should be put into systems that are more useful and valued. Collectivists, on the other hand, would argue that the government should be responsible for tackling social inequalities. The government has an obligation to help all UK citizens, especially those who pay tax. Those who are unable to pay tax because they do not have their own income and receive benefits should still be offered free services to ensure they do not experience further health and wealth inequality. In 2017, over £182 billion in income tax was collected and those who earn more than £163 per week, contribute 12% of their income through national insurance. For this reason, it would be unfair to make people contribute their earnings to a system in which they would get nothing in return as this goes against the original aims. Collectivists would look to the principles of the welfare state and argue that its founding principles are not being met if the government does not continue to provide support for society. Since 1948 the government made a commitment to the UK public that the state would be comprehensive and universal. Therefore, collectivists would argue that it should be the government’s responsibility to provide health and welfare provision as firstly members of society are providing funding towards it. Additionally, if the government does not provide this provision it undermines the founding principles of the welfare state greatly.

It is right that the government should take responsibility for health and welfare provisions. Discuss (20) The question as to who should provide health and welfare provision is a complex one and

there are a range of theories. Some believe that the government is responsible for providing welfare and argue in favour of the collectivist approach. Others look to an individualist approach which focuses on the importance of self-help and individual responsibility. Individualists would argue that health and welfare is not the responsibility of the government primarily because of the high cost of welfare in the UK. Since the introduction of the welfare state the government have and continue to pay billions on health care services and benefits to help the UK population from ‘the cradle to the grave’. Figures show that the UK government spent £264 billion on welfare in 2017. This includes benefits such as unemployment benefit which was around £44 billion. Also, the overall cost of the NHS stood at £120.5 billion in 2016/17. It is clear to see that an enormous amount of government spending goes towards health and welfare. As a result of this, money is being diverted from other key issues in society that could be considered to be equally as important. Some would argue that the criminal justice system is currently failing and that the government should be making this more of a priority. The current Conservative government cut the amount of police officers in England and Wales by 21,000 in 2017 and statistics show that recorded crime offences have since risen by 14%. Therefore, individualists would argue that it is not the government’s responsibility to cover the full cost of health and welfare. They would claim that individuals need to take on more responsibility as the current system is unsustainable in terms of cost and arguably there are other important issues that require more financial support. Individualists would also argue that it is unfair that those who make poor lifestyle choices receive help from the government. Smoking, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and having a poor diet can all lead to people suffering from poor health. This can often result in people seeking help from the NHS and relying heavily on the benefit system. For example, the 2015 documentary ‘NHS: £2 billion a Week and Counting’ showed a man named Mark who was morbidly obese due to poor lifestyle choices. Mark received £1000 in government benefits each month, money was spent adapting his home and he was on the waiting list to get gastric surgery which was £6000 for the surgery alone. Individualists would argue that it is the individual’s responsibility to provide for themselves as they have made poor life choices. Individualists want to move away from the ‘dependency culture’ that exists in the UK. However, collectivists would take the opposite view on this and would take the long-term positives of this situation into account. In the case of Mark, collectivists would argue that by the government providing NHS funding he would, after surgery, be able to lose a significant amount of weight which would allow him to return to the workforce. This means he would be able to stop relying on benefits and could contribute money back to the government through taxation. Therefore, individualists would state that it is not the responsibility of the government to support and fund those who make poor choices. On the other hand, collectivists believe that in the long run providing health care provision would benefit both the individual and the government. Furthermore, collectivists believe in the principles of the welfare state which was initially funded through national insurance contributions. Collectivists would argue that because everyone in society has contributed towards the state, the government should therefore be responsible for health and welfare. Today the welfare state and those in favour of its existence believe that the government has an obligation to provide services and benefits to all people in society at the point of need through the NHS and social security schemes. This should be the case particularly for those who pay taxation and national insurance. For example, those who earn more and £162 a week contribute 12% of their earnings through national insurance. Also, it was recorded that £182 billion was collected in income tax between 2016 and 2017. For this reason, it would be unfair to make people contribute their earnings to a system in which they would get nothing in return as this goes against the original aims. Collectivists would look to the principles of the welfare state and argue that its founding principles are not being met if the government does not continue to provide support

for society. Since 1948 the government made a commitment to the UK public that the state would be comprehensive and universal. Therefore, collectivists would argue that it should be the government’s responsibility to provide health and welfare provision as firstly members of society are providing funding towards it. Additionally, if the government does not provide this provision it undermines the founding principles of the welfare state greatly. To conclude, individualist and collectivist theories differ greatly. Individualists believe that people should be self-reliant and not waste government money on poor lifestyle choices. Additionally, they believe that there are other priorities in society that lack funding because money is being diverted to healthcare and benefits. Collectivists, on the other hand, regard health and welfare provision as a clear responsibility of the government, especially if individuals contribute to society through taxation and national insurance. However, in recent times, some advocate elements of both approaches known as the ‘third way’. This approach is backed by many political parties and it takes the stance that the government wants to ‘help individuals help themselves.’ This approach would allow the government to continue to provide a safety net for those in need but also encourage individuals to make wise choices when it comes to their own health and finances....