Growth, redistribution, and welfare: Toward social investment

Contemporary approaches to social welfare are based on the idea that the re sources generated by economic growth should be redistributed to fund social programs. Although this approach has dominated social policy since the 195 0s it has been undermined by the argument that redistributive social welfar e expends scarce resources on unproductive social services, maintains needy people in dependency, and stifles economic growth. Faced with need for new ideas that will legitimate social welfare, social development offers an al ternative perspective on redistribution that emphasizes resource allocation s to social programs that are productivist and investment oriented and that enhance economic participation and make a positive contribution to develop ment. Elaborating this argument, this article outlines strategies for imple menting developmental social programs.