本我討論的內容概分三部分。第一、探討新右派批評福利國家製造道德風險、滋生福利依賴與瓦解傳統家庭價值。第二、從Giddens理路析論新右派恢復傳家理庭價值的迷思。第三、分析Giddens以民主家庭取代新右派家庭政策的可行性與侷美性。一般認為，Giddens倡導的新家庭價值與新右派依戀的傳統家庭價值一樣，都寄望於家庭自行解決各種現實問題，以及其所提出的家庭政策只是舊話重提，供手沒有任保實際的政策內容，因此很難發揮作用。舉其要者，Giddens構思的「終身家庭契約」將兒童養育責任推回家庭和個人的策略就過於空洞，看不出有任何可行的方案內容，以致被批評為只是紙上談兵。不過Giddens論及當今社會，性觀念的改變、親密關係的變革、婚姻態度的轉變以及家庭結構的變遷對人們日常生活影響至深至廣，仍有其獨到之處，值得我們進一步深思。

This essay can be roughly divided into three parts. The first part explains New Right's standard criticisms against the welfare state: that it creates moral hazard, generates welfare dependency, and undermines the traditional family values. In response to these problems, proponents from the New Right have advocated to revive the traditional family values and to reassert the authority of the state. Their project is subject to severe criticisms by Giddens. In the second part I shall explain why Giddens believes that the New Right's contention to revive the traditional family values is doomed to be a myth. The part three offers a critical discussion of Giddens's alternative solution, what he calls the democratic family. It is commonly believed that, by asking the family to take the sole responsibility in dealing with all sorts of practical difficulties and saving the traditional family value from deterioration, the new family value initiative, advocated by Giddens, is rendered ineffective by its inability to offer any concrete policy implications. Nonetheless, it is author's belief that Giddens does offer an insightful analysis on the transformation of women's status in contemporary society, the change of family structures, as well as the change of people's perceptions on family and marriage. We can still benefit from his insightful discussions.