In a 10th-anniversary edition of Sociality: Social Rights and Human Welfare, Hartley Dean re-examines sociality’s role in social rights and welfare, critiques existing welfare policies and their power structures. Deftly balancing theoretical depth and practical insights into social rights across global contexts, Dean makes a new and substantial contribution to social policy scholarship, writes Natalie Lightbourne.
Sociality: Social Rights and Human Welfare (2nd Edition). Hartley Dean. Routledge. 2025.
Social rights and welfare have long been pivotal topics in both public policy and academic discourse. Over recent decades, governments worldwide have grappled with balancing the ideals of universal welfare with the economic and political constraints that shape their adoption. Scholarship in this area has evolved to reflect these tensions, offering critical insights into the shifting paradigms of social justice and human rights. Within this broader context, the concept of sociality has emerged as a vital lens through which to understand the interplay between individual needs, community responsibilities, and systemic structures. Sociality underscores the interconnectedness of human lives, emphasising that the pursuit of welfare is inherently tied to the social fabric that binds communities together. y
A new edition of Hartley Dean’s 2015 Sociality: Social Rights and Welfare presents a significant contribution to this field, expanding on his previous work while introducing a revised theoretical framework centred around the concept of sociality. Dean, an Emeritus Professor renowned for his scholarship in social policy, brings a unique perspective to this 10th-anniversary revision. It builds on the original’s core themes, introducing reorganised chapters and a fresh theoretical lens. Moreover, it presents a new narrative that further develops and applies his alternative theory of social rights – one grounded in the realities of human sociality.
This revision incorporates a broader philosophical exploration of the link between human need, rights, and citizenship, providing a framework for critical social policy analysis.
Dean’s work (including the above and other notable publications, Dependency Culture (1992) co-authored with Peter Taylor-Gooby and Social Policy, 2006, 2009, and 2012) engages with a broader scholarly conversation that includes notable figures like T.H. Marshall, whose foundational theories on citizenship and welfare rights remain influential, and Nancy Fraser, known for her work on social justice and redistribution. These scholars, among others, provide critical context for understanding the evolution of welfare policies and rights-based approaches.
The book is divided into two parts: the first, titled “Established Theories of Social Rights” (19), establishes theoretical foundations of social rights, and the second, “Social Rights in Practice” (109), focuses on their practical application. Dean’s central thesis proposes that sociality, “the ways in which humans attend to each other’s welfare” (1) is essential to understanding social rights as human constructs designed to meet fundamental needs and promote collective welfare. This revision incorporates a broader philosophical exploration of the link between human need, rights, and citizenship, providing a framework for critical social policy analysis. Dean attests that “developing the concept of sociality does help us to explain the relationship between social rights and human welfare in a ‘real world’ context” (xviii).
In the preface and Chapter One, Dean introduces sociality as a defining characteristic of the human species. He argues that social rights, such as the right to work, education, shelter, are human inventions intended to guarantee essential welfare requirements. The clarity of this opening chapter sets the stage for subsequent discussions by defining sociality and emphasising its relationship to social rights. Dean suggests that “developing the concept of sociality does help us to explain the relationship between social rights and human welfare in a ‘real world’ context.” (xviii).
The privatisation of public services, such as healthcare and education, has increasingly tied access to social rights to market-driven efficiency and performance metrics.
Chapter Two delves into social rights as a component of citizenship within democratic welfare-capitalist states. Dean emphasises the constructed nature of social rights, noting that they arise from negotiated compromises between class interests rather than purely theoretical principles. He highlights the paradox of modern social rights, which, while originally designed to empower individuals independently of market forces, now often serve to integrate individuals into market participation, even within the public sector. For example, workfare programs, such as the UK’s Universal Credit system, link social benefits to employment-seeking activities, compelling recipients to engage in the labour market rather than providing unconditional support. Similarly, the privatisation of public services, such as healthcare and education, has increasingly tied access to social rights to market-driven efficiency and performance metrics. Dean’s critique that administrative power is more technical than political makes a significant contribution to debates on neoliberal welfare policies.
Chapter Three, focusing on human needs and human rights, emphasises that social rights are inherently relational, emerging from micro-level human encounters. Dean effectively critiques debates surrounding absolute versus relative need, arguing that such distinctions can obscure the broader purpose of social rights: articulating and addressing human needs. My own background in human rights studies made this chapter particularly engaging, as it was less theoretically dense than expected, yet conceptually rich.
Dean’s integration of human rights doctrine, scholarly literature, real-world examples, and cross-cultural comparisons provides a grounded perspective on the theoretical debates.
Dean’s critique deepens in Chapter Six, where he questions whether social rights genuinely advance equality or instead reinforce existing power structures. While his analysis primarily engages with the UK Welfare State, he also considers broader international contexts. He challenges the assumption that the Welfare State has been a linear progression toward universal social rights, instead suggesting it has evolved as a tool of state control and capital dominance. In this light, he critiques policies such as means-tested benefits and conditional welfare schemes, arguing that they often serve to discipline recipients rather than empower them. His provocative analysis invites critical reflection on the limitations of welfare policies and their role in maintaining social hierarchies.
The second part of the book shifts its focus to the practical applications of social rights. Chapter Seven, which explores rights to human services, is particularly impactful, breaking down key areas such as education, healthcare, and housing. Dean’s integration of human rights doctrine, scholarly literature, real-world examples, and cross-cultural comparisons provides a grounded perspective on the theoretical debates. For instance, he discusses the contrast between the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and the US healthcare system, highlighting how universal healthcare models can promote social rights more effectively than market-driven approaches. Additionally, his use of boxed information summaries throughout the chapters offers useful supplementary notes that enhance the book’s accessibility to a wider audience.
The final chapters offer a global perspective on social rights, with Chapter Nine presenting examples from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, while Chapter Eleven explores the mechanisms of redress available when social rights are violated and considers the various levels at which redress might be sought. These include access to justice, international mechanisms such as the ICESCR of 1966, and national courts, with Dean synthesising: “Social rights, however, are the rights of everyday life, and it is in the ordinary courts that they are likely most frequently to surface.” For instance, when governments fail to provide adequate housing, legal action can be taken under domestic human rights law, as seen in landmark cases like Grootboom v. South Africa (2000), where the Constitutional Court ruled that the state must take reasonable measures to fulfil the right to housing. Dean emphasises the need for effective enforcement and critiques the procedural barriers that often inhibit meaningful redress, such as overly complex administrative mechanisms.
Dean’s work challenges conventional narratives of welfare state development and offers a thought-provoking framework for rethinking the relationship between social rights and human welfare
While Dean’s writing is academically rigorous, this edition is more accessible than previous works, balancing theoretical depth with practical insights. His discussion of sociality as both an ethical foundation and a policy tool contributes a fresh lens to the literature on social rights. However, while Chapter Six offers a sharp critique of welfare policies, it could have been strengthened by a deeper discussion of alternative policy solutions, bridging the gap between critique and reform.
Overall, Sociality: Social Rights and Welfare is a substantial contribution to social policy scholarship. Dean’s work challenges conventional narratives of welfare state development and offers a thought-provoking framework for rethinking the relationship between social rights and human welfare. It will be of particular interest to scholars of social policy, human rights, and public administration, as well as policymakers and students seeking a comprehensive understanding of social rights theory and practice.
Note: This review gives the views of the author, not the position of the LSE Review of Books blog, or of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Main image: Kateryna Mukhina on Shutterstock.
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