Social citizenship from above

This chapter details the relevance of social citizenship to debates and questions of social welfare, and introduces the theoretical terrain of republican and liberal theories of citizenship. The classic work of T H Marshall is summarised, and the value of contrasting and comparing citizenship from above with citizenship as it is lived and experienced from below discussed. The chapter also provides a detailed examination of the citizenship thinking evident in recent UK governments, spanning from New Labour to the Coalition. This examination highlights the common reliance on contractual models of social citizenship, with a linked emphasis on paid employment as the primary duty of the responsible citizen. Recent developments such as an emphasis on the citizenship contract between the ‘welfare dependent’ and the ‘hard working taxpayer’ are also explored, discussing their likely implications for citizenship in/exclusion.