Key challenges to the welfare state – Lectures
Litarature:
- De Swaan, A. (1988). The beginnings of social security in Western Europe
and the United States.
- Cousins, M. (2005). 'Welfare state theories'.
Lecture 1: introduction
What is a welfare state? (1)
One of the most powerful institutions of the 20th century and beyond
The result of a long historical development
Today:
o Knowing and understanding its development, both then and now
o Knowing and understanding major social changes and how these
challenge the welfare state today and in the future
What a welfare state is and what it should be is highly contested
Welfare state: “the welfare state is a society type, which is characterized by a
democratic system of government care, which guarantees the collective social
welfare of its subjects, while the capitalist production system remains largely
unbothered” (Theones – 1962)
Only in democratic societies? Relation between democracy and a welfare
state, but not an iron law
Is government the only provider of welfare state services? Some parts of a
welfare states are organized in such a way that private agency’s also provide
welfare (jeugdzorg)
What is “collective”? who is part of the collective? When do migrants become
part of the collective? In the beginning only workers participated in the
welfare state
Only in capitalist countries? What does welfare state have to do with free
market? free market creates inequality, welfare state offers correction/
compensation equality
Its components:
1. Social security: a. o Funding of schools,
a. Unemployment, sickness and universities
disability benefits b. Student grants
b. Pensions c. Compulsory education laws
c. Maternity and parental leave 4. Social housing
d. Social assistance a. Funding of/subsidies for
2. Health care affordable homes
a. Collective health insurance b. Property regulations
b. Funding of hospitals, 5. Social welfare:
rehabilitation centers a. Elderly people’s homes
3. Education: b. Community centres
, c. Debt assistance d. Shelters for homeless people
The welfare state and social change (1)
This course: about the interrelationship between the welfare state and social
change:
Then: the origins of the welfare state
Now: welfare state change
The origins of the welfare state Bismarck’s start (Germany, 1880s):
o First social insurance acts
Social change: three drivers:
in history
Industrialization: o Protection of blue-collar
o From agriculture to workers
industry 1900-1940: other countries follow
o Migration and After World War II: further
urbanisation expansion:
Individualisation: o More categories of
o Disintegration of populations covered
traditional communities (non-workers, women
o Quest for individual rights etc.)
Rise of the nation/national state: o Schemes become more
o Bureaucracy and control generous
o Quest for national unit The Golden Age of the welfare
state (1950s-1970s)
Gøsta Esping Andersen:
The three worlds of welfare capitalism (1990)
Institutional differences between welfare states:
o Who is entitled to what and when? (= “eligibility”)
o Generosity: benefit levels
o Immunization from market dependency (“decommodification”)
Three welfare state regime types:
o Liberal welfare state
o Conservative welfare state
o Social democratic welfare state
Types of welfare states
1. Conservative welfare state 2. Social democratic welfare state
- Mainly (male) breadwinners - All citizens covered
covered - Generosity: high
- Generosity: rather high - Decommodification: high
- Decommodification: medium - Examples: Sweden, Norway,
- Examples: Germany, France, Denmark
Austria
, 3. Liberal welfare state
- All citizens covered (but means- 4. “types of caricatures” what about:
tested) - Southern Europe: the family
- Generosity: low - Eastern Europe: communist past
- Decommodification: low - Hybrids: the Netherlands
- Examples: UK, Ireland, USA,
Australia
The welfare state and social change
This course: about the interrelationship between the welfare state and social
change:
then: the origins of the welfare state
now: welfare state change
The welfare state after the golden age
The crisis of the welfare state (1975 – present?)
- Economic crisis of the 1970s and 1980s
- The rise of neo-liberalism
Welfare state reform:
- 1980s and early 1990s
o Spending cuts
o Restriction of access
- Late 1990s and 2000s
o New organizational structures
o New policy types: activation, socialization etc.
- 2010s and 2020s
o Preparing for “aged society”
o Facing calamities (financial crisis covid-19 etc)
Five processes of social change:
1. Post-industrialization:
- Services, flexibilization and life-long-learning
- The end of the steady job?
2. Technological change and digitalization:
- Increased automation and data-driven decision-making
- Inequality and biases in welfare redistribution
3. Ageing
- Population ageing and “de-greening”
- Rising health care costs and labour shortages
4. Migration
- Migrants, citizens and entitlement
- Immigration and integration: a new welfare state “field”
5. Gender
Litarature:
- De Swaan, A. (1988). The beginnings of social security in Western Europe
and the United States.
- Cousins, M. (2005). 'Welfare state theories'.
Lecture 1: introduction
What is a welfare state? (1)
One of the most powerful institutions of the 20th century and beyond
The result of a long historical development
Today:
o Knowing and understanding its development, both then and now
o Knowing and understanding major social changes and how these
challenge the welfare state today and in the future
What a welfare state is and what it should be is highly contested
Welfare state: “the welfare state is a society type, which is characterized by a
democratic system of government care, which guarantees the collective social
welfare of its subjects, while the capitalist production system remains largely
unbothered” (Theones – 1962)
Only in democratic societies? Relation between democracy and a welfare
state, but not an iron law
Is government the only provider of welfare state services? Some parts of a
welfare states are organized in such a way that private agency’s also provide
welfare (jeugdzorg)
What is “collective”? who is part of the collective? When do migrants become
part of the collective? In the beginning only workers participated in the
welfare state
Only in capitalist countries? What does welfare state have to do with free
market? free market creates inequality, welfare state offers correction/
compensation equality
Its components:
1. Social security: a. o Funding of schools,
a. Unemployment, sickness and universities
disability benefits b. Student grants
b. Pensions c. Compulsory education laws
c. Maternity and parental leave 4. Social housing
d. Social assistance a. Funding of/subsidies for
2. Health care affordable homes
a. Collective health insurance b. Property regulations
b. Funding of hospitals, 5. Social welfare:
rehabilitation centers a. Elderly people’s homes
3. Education: b. Community centres
, c. Debt assistance d. Shelters for homeless people
The welfare state and social change (1)
This course: about the interrelationship between the welfare state and social
change:
Then: the origins of the welfare state
Now: welfare state change
The origins of the welfare state Bismarck’s start (Germany, 1880s):
o First social insurance acts
Social change: three drivers:
in history
Industrialization: o Protection of blue-collar
o From agriculture to workers
industry 1900-1940: other countries follow
o Migration and After World War II: further
urbanisation expansion:
Individualisation: o More categories of
o Disintegration of populations covered
traditional communities (non-workers, women
o Quest for individual rights etc.)
Rise of the nation/national state: o Schemes become more
o Bureaucracy and control generous
o Quest for national unit The Golden Age of the welfare
state (1950s-1970s)
Gøsta Esping Andersen:
The three worlds of welfare capitalism (1990)
Institutional differences between welfare states:
o Who is entitled to what and when? (= “eligibility”)
o Generosity: benefit levels
o Immunization from market dependency (“decommodification”)
Three welfare state regime types:
o Liberal welfare state
o Conservative welfare state
o Social democratic welfare state
Types of welfare states
1. Conservative welfare state 2. Social democratic welfare state
- Mainly (male) breadwinners - All citizens covered
covered - Generosity: high
- Generosity: rather high - Decommodification: high
- Decommodification: medium - Examples: Sweden, Norway,
- Examples: Germany, France, Denmark
Austria
, 3. Liberal welfare state
- All citizens covered (but means- 4. “types of caricatures” what about:
tested) - Southern Europe: the family
- Generosity: low - Eastern Europe: communist past
- Decommodification: low - Hybrids: the Netherlands
- Examples: UK, Ireland, USA,
Australia
The welfare state and social change
This course: about the interrelationship between the welfare state and social
change:
then: the origins of the welfare state
now: welfare state change
The welfare state after the golden age
The crisis of the welfare state (1975 – present?)
- Economic crisis of the 1970s and 1980s
- The rise of neo-liberalism
Welfare state reform:
- 1980s and early 1990s
o Spending cuts
o Restriction of access
- Late 1990s and 2000s
o New organizational structures
o New policy types: activation, socialization etc.
- 2010s and 2020s
o Preparing for “aged society”
o Facing calamities (financial crisis covid-19 etc)
Five processes of social change:
1. Post-industrialization:
- Services, flexibilization and life-long-learning
- The end of the steady job?
2. Technological change and digitalization:
- Increased automation and data-driven decision-making
- Inequality and biases in welfare redistribution
3. Ageing
- Population ageing and “de-greening”
- Rising health care costs and labour shortages
4. Migration
- Migrants, citizens and entitlement
- Immigration and integration: a new welfare state “field”
5. Gender
