In order for Britain to succeed better as a society, Webb advocated a new idea: A state must secure a “national minimum of civilized life,” including food and education for the young, care for the sick, income for the disabled and elderly, and living wages for workers. This idea would become a key element in Nordic thinking. (William Beveridge, who gave his name to the health-care model used in Britain and subsequently in the Nordic countries, was part of Webb’s group.)
