From the Elizabethan Poor Law to the Social Security Act: Comparison of social welfare development processes in the UK and the US and influencing factors

Elizabeth's Poor Law was the first law in England in 1601 to systematize relief for the poor as a state responsibility, and is a system that must be treated as a starting point in social welfare history projects. This article compares the development of social welfare in the UK and the US side by side and summarizes the factors that made the difference.

What kind of law was the Elizabethan Poor Law?

The Elizabethan Poor Law treated the poor differently by dividing them into those with the ability to work, those without the ability to work, and children in need of care. It is considered the prototype of public assistance in that it levied a poor tax at the parish level and appointed poor inspectors to provide relief.

At the same time, it had a strong controlling nature, such as forcing poor people with the ability to work to work, so it should be noted that the philosophy was different from today's welfare.

What path did Britain take? Did you bet?

The principle of inferior treatment in the New Poor Law is the principle that the lives of the poor who receive relief should not be better than those of the lowest workers, and is a concept that often appears in exams.

자격증 공부는 시험 일정부터 확인하고 거꾸로 계획을 세우니까 훨씬 수월하더라고요. 시험 전주에는 모의 시험 한 번을 실제처럼 풀어 본 게 저한테는 도움이 됐어요.

What is America? Was it different?

The United States has a strong spirit of individualism and self-help, and has long responded to poverty through private charity and local governments. The Association of Charitable Organizations and the Social Security Movement became the roots of social work methodology.

As the Great Depression of 1929 caused mass unemployment, the view that poverty was a problem of social structure rather than individual responsibility spread, and the Roosevelt government enacted the Social Security Act in 1935 as part of the New Deal policy and introduced old-age insurance and public assistance.

It influenced the development of welfare in both countries. What are the factors?

• The speed of industrialization and urbanization
• Dominating ideologies such as liberalism and social democracy
• The power of the labor movement and political parties
• Experience of war and economic crisis
• Political structures such as federalism

The explanation is that in the UK, the experience of war and the Labor Party's rule brought forward a universal welfare state, and in the US, federalism and individualist culture led to a selective and segmented system. There are a lot.

How do I use a comparison assignment?

The structure is clear if you first present a comparison table by period, contrast the two countries by factor, and finish with implications. If you need more theoretical framework, Neoliberal Welfare Theory Wiki and continue to write about the changes since the 1980s.

In the conclusion of the comparison project, it is better to explain why the two countries took different paths rather than evaluating them as superior or inferior. In terms of Esping-Anderson's type of welfare system, the United Kingdom is often classified as an example of a mixture of elements of liberalism and universalism, and the United States is often classified as a model of a liberal welfare state.

The meaning of the comparison increases if you add a paragraph about what factors Korea was influenced by, but even then, please check the year and name of the system with the textbook.

This article was compiled by the Campus Down editorial department by comparing the explanations in the standard textbook · Review 2026-10-25. Reference: Beveridge, Social Insurance and Allied Services (1942), Esping-Andersen, The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism (1990), textbook on the history of social welfare development. Years and system names are written slightly differently in each textbook, so match them with the materials used in class.