Aantekeningen Hoorcolleges
Key challenges to the welfare state
Sarah Rose
HC1: Introduction 1
HC2: Post-industrialization 2
HC3: Individualisation 5
HC4: Aging 9
HC5: Migration: Opportunities & Challenges for the Welfare State 13
HC6: Gender 16
HC7: Conclusion 18
, HC1: Introduction
What is a welfare state?
It started in Germany in the 1880’s and spread around the world. Ever since, societies have
molded around the welfare state.
The welfare state is often discussed in social debate. However, this is all normative and this
course is mainly about what a welfare state is and how and why it develops.
Definitions:
● Van Doorn (1978): social guarantee, reasonable standard of living
● Wilensky (1975): support is a right, an entitlement & specifies what the welfare state
takes care of
● Thoenes (1962):
○ Related to the democratic system: the welfare state began in the 20th
century, during that period of time workers could vote. Also, democracy
means institutions.
○ Government care: but this is not the only provider of welfare state services,
but schemes are regulated by law by the government.
○ Collective social welfare: collective does not always mean everyone.
Sometimes it means only employees, not self-employed people, or no
migrants.
○ Capitalist production system: (=all sorts of goods and money is owned by
private people and can be traded on a free market) We see welfare states
mainly in capitalist societies, because there can arise a greater gap between
having a lot and having a little → inequality.
Components of the welfare state:
1. Social security
a. Based on premiums of taxes (such as social assistance = bijstand)
2. Health care
3. Education
4. Social housing
5. Social welfare
a. Such as elderly people’s homes and community centers
The welfare state and social change
There’s an interrelation between social change and the welfare state. You can also see this
in the origins of the welfare state. Social change has three drivers:
1. Industrialization
a. Agriculture to industry
b. Migration and urbanization
2. Individualisation
a. Disintegration of traditional communities
b. Quest for individual rights
3. Rise of the nation/national state
a. Bureaucracy and control
1
, b. Quest for national unity
Bismarck started the schemes in Germany and after 1900 other countries followed. After
WW2 everywhere in Europe more schemes were introduced and more people were covered.
These were the Golden Age of the welfare state (1950-1970’s).
Gosta Esping Andersen called out that there were different types of welfare states.
There are three criteria:
1. Eligibility: who gets what and when?
2. Generosity: benefit levels
3. Immunization from market dependency (=decommodification): welfare state can
make you less of a commodity by providing you for example with benefits.
He also mentions that we have three types of regimes:
1. Conservative welfare states
2. Social democratic welfare state
3. Liberal welfare state
Critics
These types of regimes are caricatures, some countries simply do not fit into one of these
types. It’s really based on the welfare state at the end of the Golden Age.
The welfare state after the golden age
After the economic crises of the 1970’s and 80’s the welfare state reformed.
- 1980’s & 1990’s: spending cuts
- 1990’s & 2000’s: new organizational structures and policy types
- 2010’s & 2020’s: preparing for aged society and facing calamities
HC2: Post-industrialization
5 theories on origins of the welfare state
● The logic of industrialization thesis
○ There was a need for the welfare state
○ Functionalist theory: the society is a human body; each institution has its
own function. It can only function if the institutions (organs) work together.
Just like the body, it cures itself if there’s a problem
● The functionalist Marxist approaches
○ Capitalism: it will destroy itself and the welfare state would prevent this
○ Functionalist theory: the society is a human body; each institution has its
own function. It can only function if the institutions (organs) work together.
Just like the body, it cures itself if there’s a problem
● The power resources approach
2
Key challenges to the welfare state
Sarah Rose
HC1: Introduction 1
HC2: Post-industrialization 2
HC3: Individualisation 5
HC4: Aging 9
HC5: Migration: Opportunities & Challenges for the Welfare State 13
HC6: Gender 16
HC7: Conclusion 18
, HC1: Introduction
What is a welfare state?
It started in Germany in the 1880’s and spread around the world. Ever since, societies have
molded around the welfare state.
The welfare state is often discussed in social debate. However, this is all normative and this
course is mainly about what a welfare state is and how and why it develops.
Definitions:
● Van Doorn (1978): social guarantee, reasonable standard of living
● Wilensky (1975): support is a right, an entitlement & specifies what the welfare state
takes care of
● Thoenes (1962):
○ Related to the democratic system: the welfare state began in the 20th
century, during that period of time workers could vote. Also, democracy
means institutions.
○ Government care: but this is not the only provider of welfare state services,
but schemes are regulated by law by the government.
○ Collective social welfare: collective does not always mean everyone.
Sometimes it means only employees, not self-employed people, or no
migrants.
○ Capitalist production system: (=all sorts of goods and money is owned by
private people and can be traded on a free market) We see welfare states
mainly in capitalist societies, because there can arise a greater gap between
having a lot and having a little → inequality.
Components of the welfare state:
1. Social security
a. Based on premiums of taxes (such as social assistance = bijstand)
2. Health care
3. Education
4. Social housing
5. Social welfare
a. Such as elderly people’s homes and community centers
The welfare state and social change
There’s an interrelation between social change and the welfare state. You can also see this
in the origins of the welfare state. Social change has three drivers:
1. Industrialization
a. Agriculture to industry
b. Migration and urbanization
2. Individualisation
a. Disintegration of traditional communities
b. Quest for individual rights
3. Rise of the nation/national state
a. Bureaucracy and control
1
, b. Quest for national unity
Bismarck started the schemes in Germany and after 1900 other countries followed. After
WW2 everywhere in Europe more schemes were introduced and more people were covered.
These were the Golden Age of the welfare state (1950-1970’s).
Gosta Esping Andersen called out that there were different types of welfare states.
There are three criteria:
1. Eligibility: who gets what and when?
2. Generosity: benefit levels
3. Immunization from market dependency (=decommodification): welfare state can
make you less of a commodity by providing you for example with benefits.
He also mentions that we have three types of regimes:
1. Conservative welfare states
2. Social democratic welfare state
3. Liberal welfare state
Critics
These types of regimes are caricatures, some countries simply do not fit into one of these
types. It’s really based on the welfare state at the end of the Golden Age.
The welfare state after the golden age
After the economic crises of the 1970’s and 80’s the welfare state reformed.
- 1980’s & 1990’s: spending cuts
- 1990’s & 2000’s: new organizational structures and policy types
- 2010’s & 2020’s: preparing for aged society and facing calamities
HC2: Post-industrialization
5 theories on origins of the welfare state
● The logic of industrialization thesis
○ There was a need for the welfare state
○ Functionalist theory: the society is a human body; each institution has its
own function. It can only function if the institutions (organs) work together.
Just like the body, it cures itself if there’s a problem
● The functionalist Marxist approaches
○ Capitalism: it will destroy itself and the welfare state would prevent this
○ Functionalist theory: the society is a human body; each institution has its
own function. It can only function if the institutions (organs) work together.
Just like the body, it cures itself if there’s a problem
● The power resources approach
2
