Summary. Welfare provision serves mainly the physical and material interests of recipients.
Interests are linked both with people's needs, which are socially defined, and with what
people want. If people can be mistaken about where their interests lie, their welfare will
not be served by considering their wants alone.
Social welfare is not simply the sum of individual welfares, and one concept cannot
be derived from the other. Some interests may be held in common. Equally, however,
there may be conflicts between interests, and some may bear costs for the benefit of
others.