Minimum income standard as a social citizenship benchmark: the case of Portugal

This chapter proposes to revisit the T.H. Marshall theory of citizenship stressing its present relevance. Departing from the author’s concept of social citizenship, an analysis of the relevance of defining a decent standard of living for social policy is developed. Particularly, it is argued that the adoption of a minimum protection policy or a normative and civilizational reference safeguarding fundamental rights of citizenship in Portugal is required. We intend to highlight the consistency between Marshall’s conception of social citizenship, anchored in the right to a modicum standard of economic welfare and security, and the theories of human needs. In addition, we discuss the consistency between his vision of right to civilizational inheritance attained in one’s own community and consensual approaches, which favours a historical and cultural context of patterns of need satisfaction, transparency, democratic and public discussion and social construction of thresholds of human dignity safeguards. Based at theoretical, methodological and empirical levels, on the research project Minimum Income Standard in Portugal, undertaken since January 2012 by researchers from Lisbon University and Catholic University of Portugal, this chapter consists of an exploratory analysis of the citizen’s rationalities when discussing what one should have to attain an adequate standard of living in Portugal. Data was collected qualitatively by means of nine focus groups, corresponding to the initial stage of the field work of the research project (orientation groups). Findings point to the existence of sensitive contact points, summed up as the reference to the five giants of social policy; the concern with safety and security, and the reference to prevailing standards.