Redefining need: Making the temporal explicit

Lee Gregory

Chapter 4 in Time, Welfare and Society, 2026, pp 48-66 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Chapter 4 redefines need through a temporal lens, moving beyond survival-oriented “thin needs” towards flourishing‑focused “thick needs”. It introduces a trichotomy of time – duration, resource and use value – to demonstrate how needs evolve across the life course and depend upon control over diverse time uses. The chapter critiques policy framings that treat time solely as a measurable commodity, highlighting instead the qualitative, relational and reflective temporalities necessary for wellbeing, autonomy and ontological security. Drawing on Marxist and humanist traditions, it argues that needs involve consciousness, sociality, care, creativity and rest – none of which can be reduced to labour time. It contends that welfare systems must safeguard plural time values to support genuine flourishing and enable individuals to craft meaningful biographies across past, present and future.

Keywords: Need; Capabilities; Time use; Flourishing; Autonomy; Life course (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781800370807
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