Concluding Remarks

Abstract

In this study the workings of poor relief have been examined and three questions posed:

Which groups provided poor relief and why?

Which groups received poor relief and why?

What effects did poor relief have on society?

Using a new approach based on various studies in the fields of history, sociology and welfare economics, an attempt has been made to find answers to these three questions. A synthesis of current views and findings has led to the construction of a simple model of poor relief in preindustrial Europe (see Figure 1.1 in Chapter 1). In this model, poor relief functions as a control strategy of the elites and as a survival strategy of the poor. Both social groups are said to have used social assistance to achieve their objectives. According to the model, poor relief serves as an exchange mechanism and involves mutual advantages and threats, reflecting mutual dependence. Before the model is evaluated, the main findings of this study of poor relief in Amsterdam during the first half of the nineteenth century are set out.