Changing notions of the welfare state
The concern about human welfare has made the concept of welfare state more popular than capitalism and socialism. The term welfare state was found first in William Temple’s Citizen and Churchman. In this book welfare state was contrasted with warfare state. Gradually it was defined more in economic terms. However, the present usages of the term go beyond the notions of war and peace, and notions of economics. The popular meaning of the term welfare state is that it takes care of the economic as well as social needs of the people who have been left behind due to market and cultural processes and have no other source of security to fall back upon. Economic definition gives precedence to economic needs and services. To quote Briggs (2001, 16439):
A welfare state is a state in which organized power is deliberately used (through politics and administration) in an effect to modify the play of market forces in at least three directions – first, by guaranteeing individuals and families a minimum income irrespective of the market value of their work and property; second, by narrowing the extent of insecurity by enabling individuals and families to meet certain “contingencies” …; and third, by ensuring that all citizens without status or class are offered … a certain agreed range of social services. |
Our expectations from welfare are more. Social, cultural and resource security are added to economic security. Exploration of economic theory reveals that there are limits to old economic thinking on the issue of happiness and welfare. The two major questions requiring revision in the traditional wisdom are: (a) What kind of changes are taking place in the model of economic organization and what are its implications for other domains of action and reflection? (b) What are in general the limits of the economistic thinking to welfare in the present milieus?
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