The Welfare State: Principles, Rights, and Social Impact

Understanding the Welfare State

The welfare state is a concept where the state or society assumes responsibility for the social and economic well-being of its members. This responsibility is generally understood as comprehensive and universal, as "welfare" is a broad concept applicable to everyone.

Core Principles and Responsibilities

For some, such welfare is considered a fundamental right, whether a human, natural, or specific social right. For others, no such inherent right exists; instead, they view it as a duty of the state, society, or its members—often termed social responsibility.

This duty may or may not be seen as stemming from a moral or legal concept of joint liability, potentially arising from a hypothetical social contract. Such a contract might or might not be explicitly stated in a constitution but would invariably be linked to the concept of the common good (see also positive law).

Welfare: A Right or a Duty?

Beyond principles, some focus on practical objectives: the state's purpose, they argue, should be to promote the social interest or common good. From this viewpoint, if the costs involved in a welfare system benefit society as a whole, such expenditure is amply justified.

Utilitarian Perspective on Social Spending

For instance, it is generally argued that social spending increases both social cohesion and societal productivity. Alternatively, it's posited that social costs are more effective and less expensive than other measures for reducing social problems like crime.

From this perspective, welfare costs are not merely expenses for the "good functioning" of society but are also considered an investment. In an extreme view, this can be conceived as a utilitarian approach to society, where it functions as an interest group.

It can be argued that spending on social issues is more effective in eliminating or controlling problems that would otherwise escalate (see also Anomia).

Critiques of the Utilitarian Approach

Despite this perception, which facilitates social discourse on spending by focusing on mutual benefits and promoting social utility, it has been argued that this approach diminishes the academic and broader social vision of welfare.