This collection of documents follows the same format as Pope and Hoyle s British Economic Performance (1984), to provide a survey of the main developments in social welfare. Students of economic and social history and of social policy and administration are being required to do more and more work with original documents, and this collection is tailored to meet their needs.

The primary sources are presented in two sections, covering the periods 1885-c. 1940 and c. 1940 to 1985. During the former, ideas on, and the scope of, welfare provision, broadened greatly. There was a sense of...