Why Does Welfare State Matter? Essay Example

A welfare state is a form of governance where the state has instituted vital social institutions responsible for the promotion and protection of the economic well-being of its citizens by exempting them from social market risks like unemployment, sickness, old age, or accidents (Bondarenko, 2019). Welfare states are characterized by some key principles namely: social policy equality, equal opportunity, unlimited provision of basic needs, and provision of freedom and rights. Under social policy equality of a welfare state, resources are distributed equitably to achieve different forms of equality (like equal treatment, equal opportunities, and equal outcomes) (Amenta, Bonastuia, &Caren, 2001). Welfare states provide equal opportunities on essential social services for all its citizens regardless of group or sexual orientation. Additionally, the basic needs (like housing, food, and caring) covered by welfare states to their citizens are not limited nor is the extent of coverage pre-stated (Aravacik, 2018). Moreover, citizens of welfare states enjoy numerous types of rights and freedoms. In welfare states, citizens enjoy unmitigated civil rights, political rights, and social rights (like the right to education and health services). Although the institution of a welfare state threatens to create a job-skiving population because of the guaranteed state-provided social benefits, it promises to create favorable social policies that are essential for the survival of humankind today.

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The welfare state matters a lot because of the key social policies it creates whenever it is existent. Social policies are a catalyst for harmony in society because it eliminates conflicts. Some of the advantageous purposes of welfare states are that it creates social balance, social justice, social peace, social development, and social integration (Aravacik, 2018).

Welfare states promote social justice in the society it is existent. Under welfare states, each individual is guaranteed equal rights whenever faced by equal social risks because of social justice (Aravacik, 2018). Any advantage held either economically or because of group affiliation is eliminated by welfare states, meaning the undesired social inequalities and differences are non-existent in such societies. The policies of fair opportunity concerning social status, age, income, taxes, and education are developed in welfare states, which promotes social justice development. Therefore, welfare states matter most in the creation of social justice in our world today.

Additionally, welfare states matter because of its high capability in the creation of social balance. Welfare states eliminate perceived social differences and entrench harmony and balance (Aravacik, 2018). The social differences relating to inequalities and opportunities differences in various areas destabilizes the harmony between the residents of those places. Welfare states are needed because it creates social policies that eliminate the developmental differences and ensure that everyone reaps the benefits of equal social services and rights

To add to the above, welfare is very important in the promotion of social peace. Social policies instituted by welfare states aims at removing the factors and conditions that cause social structure indifference (Esping-Andersen, 1990). The modern capitalist market threatens to impede social solidarity because of the competitive nature of the free market. Welfare states social policies are therefore very essential in our society today because they guarantee to remove the negative impacts related to human psychology and replace it with a society that entrenches harmony and reconciliation in their day-to-day activities.

Welfare states are useful in the promotion of social integration. Welfare states social policies of prioritizing the social and economic well-being of its citizenry guarantee the possibility of eliminating negative factors like bad political factors and unfavorable economic factors that hinder overall unity and social togetherness (Aravacik, 2018). The social policies developed create moral values, educational values, and cultural values that should be followed to achieve the all-important social integration.

Welfare states are needed for the fulfillment of social democracy goals. Welfare states are one of the main attributes of liberalism in the modern world. Welfare states use a well-drafted social policy that protects the rights and freedom of its citizenry through a democratic order as well as a legal order (Medearis, 2015). The citizens enjoy civil rights and liberties, political rights to vote and make vital public governance policies, and social rights and security. The individuals are bound to top the welfare state through citizenship and they contribute to the implementation of social policies through taxation to the state. In conclusion, for a nation to develop rapidly, the adoption of the welfare state is needed because it ensures that a country economically develops and at the same time eliminates major social problems related to unfairness.

Can we create an environment where citizens achieve equal opportunity for economic and social wellbeing without a welfare state?

Equity in economic and social wellbeing is vital for development in the world today. Equity relates to moral equality, which stipulates that humans ought to be treated equally irrespective of economic or social stature (Jones, 2019). The creation of an environment where all citizens are equal on the economic and social wellbeing basis is not possible without the creation of a welfare state. This is because a state is the only entity that is capable to hold and enforce the required responsibility of ensuring that all citizens are treated equally. Ensuring equality requires hard stance choices and a stance in developing a social and political policies-a capability that only the state can manage to uphold with its financial muscle.

In achieving economic and social wellbeing equality, five principle policy priorities ought to be undertaken countrywide. This task requires collaborative action to ensure it is effective and since a government is the only entity with collaborative branches across the nation, a welfare state has to be created to achieve these policies.

Firstly, to achieve equal opportunity for economic and social wellbeing, public services should promote fair treatment by being universal and accommodating to all (Jones, 2019). Public services like education and health are vital for social wellbeing. By ensuring that the services are universally available to all and that the quality delivered to the less disadvantaged is not lowered, would achieve equality in social wellbeing and economically in the long run. Since all public services are overseen by the government, the creation of a welfare state would be inevitable for its success.

Secondly, economic and social wellbeing equality can be achieved by targeting empowering disadvantaged groups (Jones, 2019). Disadvantaged groups like people with disabilities and girls always feel unequal to other groups in society. Empowering such groups through investments in their education and wellbeing promotion can aid greatly in achieving economic and social wellbeing equality. Since the government is endowed with unlimited financial resources, the development of welfare states is the best option to ensure that these disadvantaged groups are supported and hence equality promoted.

Thirdly, downstream taxation that relates to progressive taxation can only be done by the government and it can aid in reducing economic inequality in our society (Jones, 2019). Other governmental policies like land reforms and minimizing taxes on staple food can also bring about equality. Fourthly, only the creation of welfare states that can guarantee social protection and ensure that no one is left behind in bad states of economic or social wellbeing (Jones, 2019). In conclusion, all these factors support the importance of creating welfare states to promote social wellbeing and economic equality among citizens.

References

Amenta, E., Bonastia, C., & Caren, N. (2001). US Social Policy in Comparative and Historical Perspective: Concepts, Images, Arguments, and Research Strategies. Annual Review of Sociology, 27(1), 213-234. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.213

Bondarenko, P. (2019). Welfare state. Retrieved December 18, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/welfare-state

Esping-Andersen, G. (1990). The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Aravacik, E. D. (2018, November 28). Social Policy and the Welfare State, Public Economics and Finance, Bernur Acikgoz, IntechOpen, Retrieved from: https://www.intechopen.com/books/public-economics-and-finance/social-policy-and-the-welfare-state

Jones, H. (2019, December 11). Equity in development: Why it is important and how to achieve it. Retrieved from https://www.odi.org/publications/3480-equity-development-why-it-important-and-how-achieve-it

Medearis, J. (2015). Why Democracy Is Oppositional. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvjsf5fc.8