Week 10: Welfare states and public policy Flashcards
Advanced welfare state
A capitalist society in which the state has intervened in the form of social policies, programs, standards and regulations in order to mitigate class conflict and to provide an answer or accomodate certain social needs for which the capitalist mode of production has no solution or makes no provision
What event influenced Western democracies to become advanced welfare states?
The great depression
According to Teeple, what are the components of the advanced welfare state?
Education, employment insurance, employment training, public pensions, social assistance and health care
What are the reasons that Western democracies became advanced welfare states?
To preserve the capitalist, free market economic system
To make up for negative outcomes of the business cycle under capitalism
To transfer resources from high-income to low-income people
What are the welfare states of the dichotomous typology?
- Residual welfare state
- Institutional welfare state
Residual welfare state
Smaller range of social welfare measures
Target less well off
Strict eligibility criteria (means testing)
Long waiting periods and short entitlement periods
Little state commitment to reducing poverty
What is the residual welfare state most similar too?
Market model
Means testing (residual welfare state)
Requirement to demonstrate little or no income
Often require that you exhaust all resources and any money you have saved to be eligible
Institutional welfare state
Benefits and services are citizen entitled social protections and investments
Promotion of well-being and prevention of problems
Comprehensive benefits
Free market allocation of resources seen as inferior
Comprehensive benefits of institutional welfare state
Cover more contingencies
More generous
Higher quality
More easily accessed
What if the institutional welfare state most similar to?
Polis model
Welfare states of Esping-Andersen’s typology
- Liberal
- Conservative
- Social democratic
Countries that use liberal welfare state
Australia
Canada
Ireland
United Kingdom
United States
Countries that use conservative welfare state
Belgium
France
Germany
Netherlands
Switzerland
Countries that use the social democratic welfare state
Denmark
Finland
Norway
Sweden
Dimensions of Esping-Andersen’s typology
- Commodification
- Social stratification
Commodification- liberal welfare state
Citizens are dependent on market and earned income for social goods and services
Commodification- conservative welfare state
Less emphasis on market and more on families providing social welfare
Commodification- social democratic
Social goods and services provided as a matter of citizen rights
Social stratification- liberal welfare state
Maintain and reinforce existing patterns of inequality
Social stratification- conservative welfare state
Maintain inequalities but alleviate suffering from being on bottom
Social stratification- social democratic welfare state
Committed to reducing inequality and poverty
Liberal welfare states
Emphasis on market and commodification
Basic social safety net w low benefits
Means or income tested
Assistance only to least well off
Little redistrbution
Benefits seen as last resort
Conservative welfare states
Retains status differences but less emphasis on markets and commodification
Social insurance rather than social assistance or universal measures (pay in to it and its available when needed)
redistribution of income over people’s lifetimes
Social democratic welfare states
Broad, extensive, comprehensive programs
Emphasis on elimination of poverty and promotion of quality
Universal welfare
Decommodification of social services and benefits
Key priority is full employment
Strong, active labour movements and policies
Types of social spending and policies
Health care
Education and training
Pensions
Support for people with disabilities
Unemployment benefits
Social assistance or welfare
Minimum wage
What dichotomous model is the social democratic welfare state most similar to?
Institutional
Which dichotomous model is the liberal welfare state most similar to?
Residual
Health care and pension spending and Espen-Andersen’s typology
Don’t follow pattern you would expect
What country is most likely to reduce health and social spending in response to global economic pressures?
Canada (liberal)
In what area does spending align with Esping-Andersen’s typology?
Support for people w disabilities
