THE FUNCTIONS OF NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF WELFARE IN CAPITALIST SOCIETIES - A CASE-STUDY OF TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS IN BRITAIN AND HOUSING POLICY FOR SMALL HOUSEHOLDS IN HONG-KONG

This article argues that the main reason for the existence and persist ence of negative characteristics of social services is the function of social services in enhancing dominant ideologies in capitalist societ y. Negative characteristics do not refer only to inefficiency and inef fectiveness, but also to the diswelfare brought to service users. The study of temporary accommodation for the homeless in Britain and housi ng policy for small households in Hong Kong has revealed that the nega tive aspects of these services have an important role in supporting we lfare residualism. Negative aspects perform the function of discouragi ng, if not deterring, people who deviate from established norms. These norms include self-sufficiency, work initiative, the family as primar ily a caring provider and the market as an effective institution to fu lfil needs. Since negative aspects of social services have their own f unctions in sustaining the legitimacy of government and the reproducti on of capitalist ideologies, they cannot be eradicated merely by techn ical methods. To eliminate them, changes have to be sought in the bala nce between the power of the dominant class and the dominated class, t he dominant value and subordinate values.