Cradle to Grave: Comparative Perspectives on the State of Welfare

This book reports a world-wide comparative study of welfare state policies. It demonstrates their failure in relation to poverty, unemployment, health, housing and education. It shows how big government and bureaucratic state welfare destroy the family and create a sub-class of welfare dependents and argues that the damage caused by state welfare threatens to undermine the culture of free societies and destroy their way of life. Based on comparative research into welfare policies across the western world and a detailed study of the exceptional case of Switzerland, the authors propose a programme of radical reform in welfare policy. Its aim is to reinvigorate local communities, strengthen the family and renew the commitment of leaders and citizens of democratic societies to self-sufficiency. Ralph Segalman is also author of "Poverty in America: The Welfare Dilemma", "Switzerland as Welfare State" and "Conflicting Rights: Social Legislation and Policy". David Marsland 's previous books include "Seeds of Bancruptcy: the Sociological Bias against Business and Freedom" and "Breaking the Spell of the Welfare State".