This text explores welfare rights and social legislation in historical, comparative and critical contexts. the book is divided into four parts which cover the following issues: Part 1. Focuses upon the philosophical debates associated with social rights and the development of welfare citizenship; Part 2. Deals substantively with the rights and duties of welfare citizenshiop in Britain; Part 3. Examines rights to redress in relation to the administration of welfare; Part 4. Consists of a single concluding chapter which draws together the common threads, while focusing on current debates about social justice and future of welfare rights.