Introduction: Warfare-Welfare as a Serious Social Problem for Study and Action

Authors

Lawrence K. Northwood, University of Washington, Seattle

Abstract

Throughout the Journal reference will be made to "The Warfare/Welfare State." When the term is used by the editors it refers to activities and programs in the public (governmental) sector having to do with the growth, development, and interrelationship of two of the major institutional complexes of society, the military and the social welfare.

There are two major reasons for the term:

First of all, it signals the findings of current research, that nations having large military budgets also have large budgets for social welfare. Both welfare and warfare seemingly are necessary components of the modern industrial state.

Second, it embodies a central contradiction that exists for these nations: The goals and processes of social welfare are usually conceived as being in direct opposition to the goals and processes of warfare. Hence, attention is directed to many of the critical issues that are examined in this Journal. Some of the most important are: To what extent has there been growth in the military and/or social welfare institutions over time? What are the measurable effects of the growth and development of one institutional complex on the other, on the society at large? Who benefits and who suffers from such a development? Can typical social welfare services be provided under military auspices? What services, for whom and under what conditions? Above all, the imperative question is: Should the social, political, and economic development of the nation be directed toward the acquisition of overwhelming military power which will allow the state to enforce its will domestically and on the rest of the world, or should the state direct its efforts to the enhancement of the social welfare and to the equitable sharing of its national resources with less fortunate and "underdeveloped" nations of the world?

Recommended Citation

Northwood, Lawrence K. (1977) "Introduction: Warfare-Welfare as a Serious Social Problem for Study and Action," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 4: Iss. 8, Article 14.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.1239
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol4/iss8/14