Maatschappijleer sv chapter 3 – welfare state
§1 – the welfare state
a response to the disappearance of the traditional community life of the people of the countryside
of Europe -> developed after urbanisation (-> industrial revolution -> no work for agricultural
workers -> went to cities to work in the new mines, factories and workhouses
From traditional culture to urban life
Countryside -> new industrial cities need for welfare state since traditional tasks and traditions
had disappeared, that where present in local, peasant communities -> helped each other with life
tasks, eg supervision of children, education, work training, care in times of sickness and need, birth
and death. However, in city, there was no care/support for ordinary working men and women
workers began to demand their rights to basic programs providing care, benefits and services
government financed welfare state
By middle of 20th century -> more extensive services and provisions had been introduced, eg
extended education, health care, more generous unemployment benefits
Till mid 1980s -> welfare state kept expanding. After 1980s -> most governments tried to cut back on
costs welfare state and commitments (government responsibilities)
§2 – the history of the welfare state in the Netherlands
Welfare state developed throughout the years -> as a result of trial and error, incremental changes
(bo changes in society, economy, government).
One of the impulses of welfare state failed potato harvest in 1840s -> extensive poverty and
deprivation changed attitude of political elite (first: thought poor should look after themselves and
the government should stay out of economic life more active role in reduce poverty and
deprivation (these new measures were urged because of riots in NL bo widespread poverty and need
The beginnings of a formal welfare state
New government responsibilities to reduce poverty and deprivation were written into constitutional
law (1848). In 2nd half 19th century new laws passed giving government more responsibilities towards
the weakest and most vulnerable in society. However role government in 19 th century limited new
laws delegated to municipalities to supervise, who would take up those new laws very slowly and left
the work of care for the poor to the churches and private and local initiatives laws did not help
reduce poverty, need for care and numbers of disadvantaged only increased new economic
system NL -> traditional guilds abolished -> in times of hardship and economic recession (guilds
functioned as trade union, protecting and supporting, but also controlling members. They also
controlled the whole economy, fe by regulating prices)-> a lot of people lost their jobs drifting
(zwervers) from city to city in search for food, shelter, paid work
First social welfare laws NL – end 19th century
-> 1874 – ‘’Kinderwetje van Van Houten’’ (protecting children from the excesses of child labour)
-> however, was ineffective -> parliamentary commission (1886) to investigate labour conditions
first legislation (wetgeving) -1889, clear limits to kinds, conditions of labour of women and children
-> law ensuring safety of workers (1889)
-> 1901 – accident insurance law -> financial and medical support for workers in time of need
Bismarck’s welfare reforms in Germany
Dutch welfare and social protection system based on Bismarck’s system in Germany -> wanted the
rising working class to integrate into existing economic and political system health care system
(1883), old age pension and disability scheme (1889) way ahead of its time
England -> welfare legislation to provide for a healthy and robust population to govern widespread
colonial empire. However not comparable with german system till early 20 th century
, The twentieth century welfare state in the Netherlands
Leading up to WW1, more governmental organisations for care for the poor welfare state takes on
the form of a social contract aimed at agreement between owners factories & workhouses, and
those who worked in them to support the existing capitalistic economic system
Social contract was possible bo earlier regulation of labour relations (end of child labour eg). Also
because of growing number of socialists and communists (eg SDAP, mostly from working class who
had little rights and were poor -> class conflict that might shake the foundations of the emerging
industrial society became likely if no moves were made to end poverty
Removing the motivations for revolution
For the liberal political elite it became clear that in the modern industrial society, a
pacification/integration of the working class was needed to remove motivation for revolutionary
upheaval improve conditions and extend political rights to working classes, also appeal to the
social contract between all classes in society
Phase one:
Above mentioned social laws, eg Kinderwetje van Van Houten
Universal suffrage, 1919
Phase two:
After WW2 -> collective wage bargaining, generous social benefits and economic rights
The post war era (WW2)
Recommendations of Van Rijn Commission on a post-war social security system new policy model
based on English model
existing social security schemes were extended and made universal. These provisions were made
earnings-related or means tested (how many one earned would decide how much one would receive
in unemployment benefits if one lost one’s job.
most provisions administered by a central governmental bureaucracy
These ideas were supported by the social democrats (The Labour Party) and its trade unions, Liberals.
The Catholic Party (KVP) and the Catholic unions opposed this strongly (wanted to keep the role of
the state limited and wanted private and informal (including Church-related) charities conflict
o however post-war era was made up of a consensus (agreement) between government,
employers and employees on the issue of the welfare state
The Dutch version of the welfare state
1954-1958 -> religious faction had a majority in the ruling coalition could fill in contours of Dutch
welfare system -> paid employment as a precondition for social security insurance (-> government
support for people who could not find jobs or lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
Labour party wanted (finally succeeded) legislation providing for a means tested pension for the
elderly in 1946 -> in 1948 succeeded in revision law: flat rate pension (not means tested) for >65
basic state pension (AOW) was not enough to fully support a pensioner, had to be supplemented
with an income-related supplement (= means tested) resulted in more followers for Labour Party
of electorate
1949 – unemployment benefit law (government support for the unemployed)
1950s – laws protecting the income of people who were chronically sick or disabled
1962 – child support law
1967 – WAO (Wet arbeidsongeschiktheid) -> benefit for people who are incapacitated
(arbeidsongeschikt), chronic sick or disability
Later 1960s – 1970s: additional laws to care for the chronically disabled
§1 – the welfare state
a response to the disappearance of the traditional community life of the people of the countryside
of Europe -> developed after urbanisation (-> industrial revolution -> no work for agricultural
workers -> went to cities to work in the new mines, factories and workhouses
From traditional culture to urban life
Countryside -> new industrial cities need for welfare state since traditional tasks and traditions
had disappeared, that where present in local, peasant communities -> helped each other with life
tasks, eg supervision of children, education, work training, care in times of sickness and need, birth
and death. However, in city, there was no care/support for ordinary working men and women
workers began to demand their rights to basic programs providing care, benefits and services
government financed welfare state
By middle of 20th century -> more extensive services and provisions had been introduced, eg
extended education, health care, more generous unemployment benefits
Till mid 1980s -> welfare state kept expanding. After 1980s -> most governments tried to cut back on
costs welfare state and commitments (government responsibilities)
§2 – the history of the welfare state in the Netherlands
Welfare state developed throughout the years -> as a result of trial and error, incremental changes
(bo changes in society, economy, government).
One of the impulses of welfare state failed potato harvest in 1840s -> extensive poverty and
deprivation changed attitude of political elite (first: thought poor should look after themselves and
the government should stay out of economic life more active role in reduce poverty and
deprivation (these new measures were urged because of riots in NL bo widespread poverty and need
The beginnings of a formal welfare state
New government responsibilities to reduce poverty and deprivation were written into constitutional
law (1848). In 2nd half 19th century new laws passed giving government more responsibilities towards
the weakest and most vulnerable in society. However role government in 19 th century limited new
laws delegated to municipalities to supervise, who would take up those new laws very slowly and left
the work of care for the poor to the churches and private and local initiatives laws did not help
reduce poverty, need for care and numbers of disadvantaged only increased new economic
system NL -> traditional guilds abolished -> in times of hardship and economic recession (guilds
functioned as trade union, protecting and supporting, but also controlling members. They also
controlled the whole economy, fe by regulating prices)-> a lot of people lost their jobs drifting
(zwervers) from city to city in search for food, shelter, paid work
First social welfare laws NL – end 19th century
-> 1874 – ‘’Kinderwetje van Van Houten’’ (protecting children from the excesses of child labour)
-> however, was ineffective -> parliamentary commission (1886) to investigate labour conditions
first legislation (wetgeving) -1889, clear limits to kinds, conditions of labour of women and children
-> law ensuring safety of workers (1889)
-> 1901 – accident insurance law -> financial and medical support for workers in time of need
Bismarck’s welfare reforms in Germany
Dutch welfare and social protection system based on Bismarck’s system in Germany -> wanted the
rising working class to integrate into existing economic and political system health care system
(1883), old age pension and disability scheme (1889) way ahead of its time
England -> welfare legislation to provide for a healthy and robust population to govern widespread
colonial empire. However not comparable with german system till early 20 th century
, The twentieth century welfare state in the Netherlands
Leading up to WW1, more governmental organisations for care for the poor welfare state takes on
the form of a social contract aimed at agreement between owners factories & workhouses, and
those who worked in them to support the existing capitalistic economic system
Social contract was possible bo earlier regulation of labour relations (end of child labour eg). Also
because of growing number of socialists and communists (eg SDAP, mostly from working class who
had little rights and were poor -> class conflict that might shake the foundations of the emerging
industrial society became likely if no moves were made to end poverty
Removing the motivations for revolution
For the liberal political elite it became clear that in the modern industrial society, a
pacification/integration of the working class was needed to remove motivation for revolutionary
upheaval improve conditions and extend political rights to working classes, also appeal to the
social contract between all classes in society
Phase one:
Above mentioned social laws, eg Kinderwetje van Van Houten
Universal suffrage, 1919
Phase two:
After WW2 -> collective wage bargaining, generous social benefits and economic rights
The post war era (WW2)
Recommendations of Van Rijn Commission on a post-war social security system new policy model
based on English model
existing social security schemes were extended and made universal. These provisions were made
earnings-related or means tested (how many one earned would decide how much one would receive
in unemployment benefits if one lost one’s job.
most provisions administered by a central governmental bureaucracy
These ideas were supported by the social democrats (The Labour Party) and its trade unions, Liberals.
The Catholic Party (KVP) and the Catholic unions opposed this strongly (wanted to keep the role of
the state limited and wanted private and informal (including Church-related) charities conflict
o however post-war era was made up of a consensus (agreement) between government,
employers and employees on the issue of the welfare state
The Dutch version of the welfare state
1954-1958 -> religious faction had a majority in the ruling coalition could fill in contours of Dutch
welfare system -> paid employment as a precondition for social security insurance (-> government
support for people who could not find jobs or lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
Labour party wanted (finally succeeded) legislation providing for a means tested pension for the
elderly in 1946 -> in 1948 succeeded in revision law: flat rate pension (not means tested) for >65
basic state pension (AOW) was not enough to fully support a pensioner, had to be supplemented
with an income-related supplement (= means tested) resulted in more followers for Labour Party
of electorate
1949 – unemployment benefit law (government support for the unemployed)
1950s – laws protecting the income of people who were chronically sick or disabled
1962 – child support law
1967 – WAO (Wet arbeidsongeschiktheid) -> benefit for people who are incapacitated
(arbeidsongeschikt), chronic sick or disability
Later 1960s – 1970s: additional laws to care for the chronically disabled
