Welfare State Research Paper

481 Words2 Pages
Summary: The authors generally define the welfare state by the use of organized power through politics and administration (state responsibility) in securing basic (minimum) welfare for its citizens via some form of modification of the play of market forces. According to these scholars, the welfare state emerged largely as a result of the development of modern political economy (and modern political power struggles and conflicts) and industrialism. Three distinct typologies of the welfare state have been identified: conservative (corporate), liberal, and social democratic. Various historical forces shape these different types of welfare states. The liberal welfare state adheres to the logic of industrialism, where the emergence of a welfare state is understood as a byproduct…show more content…
Industrialization, capitalist developments, and consequent labor commodification/mobilization brought political dimensions to civil citizenships. I understand this inclusion of political rights in the understanding of citizenship via political organization of labor (emergence of political rights among laborers) to have effects on policy leave a legacy for future welfare system/regime. Lastly, social rights became tangible for people and societies much later in the process of industrialization and capitalist development when speaking of poverty and poor relief, in the (capitalist) state’s effort to guarantee some form of minimum welfare support for the poor and uncommodified humans (non laborers such as the extremely old and young). While guaranteeing the minimum (or optimum) benefits and quality life, the welfare system also contributed to further strengthening the class stratification and proved that the state is never neutral in this (political) class conflicts. In summary, while the emergence of welfare state was a state-level response to industrialism and the development of capitalism to secure (social) rights of citizenship for its citizens, it still functions within the system of
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