Paul A. Fideler crosses period boundaries to establish the five-centuries-long symbiosis between the pre-industrial market economy and parish-centered social welfare, institutionalized in the Elizabethan Poor Law. Utilizing recent work in economic, social, demographic, political, medical and welfare history and attending to developments in religion, ethics, and political thought, he highlights the unique assumptions, perceptions and repertoire of relief initiatives that sustained the Elizabethan social welfare tradition until its demise in the early decades of industrialization.
