David Garland, Professor of Law and Professor of Sociology, New York University

Thursday 3 October 2013, 6pm, Sir Charles Wilson Lecture Theatre

Since the 1980s, the “welfare state” has rarely sounded a positive note in political debate. But if the phrase has gone out of fashion, the reality it describes continues to be a fundamental feature of the world in which we live. For all its defects and dilemmas, the welfare state is an essential element of contemporary capitalism and a vital concomitant of democratic government. It is neither a policy choice nor a political preference: it is a fundamental dimension of modern society.

The aim of this lecture is to cut through the fog of myths and misunderstandings and explain in clear and simple terms, what the welfare state is, how it works, and why it matters.

Places may be booked via http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/org/1957524419.

The same link provides details of two other public lectures hosted by the School of Law later this year:

• Professor Ronan Deazley’s inaugural lecture on “Writing about Comics and Copyright” (10 October 2013)
• The annual James Wood lecture (15 November 2013), which will be delivered by Eleanor Sharpston, Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union.