In this book the late Geoffrey Finlayson presents a searching analysis of social welfare in Britain from 1830 until the present day. He explores the changing relationship betwen voluntarism and the state throughout this period, unravelling the complex interactions of government, commerce, and individuals. He examines the provision of welfare and the attitudes and beliefs surrounding it, in all its many guises from Victorian private philanthropy and informal social networks to the collectivist ideals of the Welfare State and the convictions of Thatcherite individualism.

Citizen, State, and Social Welfare in Britain is, in addition, an intellectual study of the concept of citizenship over the last two centuries, tracing developing notions of the duties and obligations implicit in the idea of the citizen, as well as the rights and entitlements.