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Beatrice Webb

British economist
Also known as: Martha Beatrice Potter, Martha Beatrice Potter Webb(Show More)

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Beatrice Webb was an English socialist economist, historian, and social reformer. She was a key figure in the Fabian Society, which advocated for evolutionary socialism in Great Britain. Alongside her husband, Sidney Webb, she cofounded the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The Webbs were prolific writers, with influential works including The History of Trade Unionism and Industrial Democracy. They significantly impacted social thought and institutions in England, contributing to educational reform and the development of the welfare state. Beatrice Webb's Minority Report on the Poor Laws in 1909 laid out early concepts of social insurance and the welfare state.123

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