WEEK 10: WELFARE STATES AND PUBLIC POLICY

Question 1

Advanced Welfare State Definition

Answer 1

• capitalist society
• State has intervened in form of social policies, programs, standards, regulations to mitigate class conflict
• provide for, answer, or accommodate certain social needs for which the capitalist mode of production has no solution or makes no provision

Question 2

What is the dichotomous welfare state typology?

Answer 2

• Residual welfare state
• Institutional weflare state

Question 3

What is the residual welfare state?

Answer 3

• smaller range of social welfare measures
• target less well off on society
• stringent eligibility criteria and rules
• means testing
• waiting periods and short entitlement periods
• little state commitment to reducing poverty

Question 4

What is the institutional welfare state?

Answer 4

• benefits and services are citizen-entitled social protections and social investments
• promotion of well being and prevention of problems
• comprehensive benefits
• free market allocation of resources seen as inferior means of addressing social need

Question 5

Dimensions of Epsing-Andersen’s typology

Answer 5

Liberal
- citizens dependent on market and earned income for social goods/services
- maintain and reinforce existing patterns of inequality

Conservative
- less emphasis on market and more emphasis on families providing social welfare
- maintain inequalities but alleviate suffering from being on bottom

Social democratic
- social goods/services provided as matter of citizen right
- committed to reducing inequality and poverty

Question 6

Liberal welfare states

Answer 6

• emphasis on market and commodification
• basic social safety net with low benefits
• usually means/income tested
• assistance only to least well off
• little redistribution comparatively
• benefits seen as last resort

Question 7

Conservative welfare states

Answer 7

• retains status differences but less emphasis on markets and commodification
• creating egalitarian society is not main goal
• social insurance rather than social assistance or universal measures
• redistribution of income over people’s lifetimes

Question 8

Social democratic welfare states

Answer 8

• broad, extensive, comprehensive programs
• emphasis on elimination of poverty and promotion of equality
• universal rather than targeted social welfare
• decommodification of social services and benefits
• key priority is full employment
• strong, active labour movements and labour policies