Beyond their immediate areas of concern (such as education, health or housing) social policies are shaped by prevailing political values and beliefs. These values are made tangible in the form of overarching policy objectives. These may include, for example, the promotion of equality, the securing of justice or the preservation of liberty. This book provides an account of the key principles that have underpinned social policy in Western democracies and shows how they exert a direct effect on the contours of citizenship.