Social Exclusion in the Welfare State: The Implications of Welfare Reforms for Social Solidarity and Social Citizenship

Abstract

Despite the fact that most European countries have well established welfare systems, social exclusion is a growing problem in most modern Western societies. It is a problem that affects not only the individual but society as a whole. At individual level, exclusion refers to the failure to participate in social activities and to build social relations. At societal level, exclusion reflects inadequate social cohesion and integration. All forms of social exclusion point to a decline of social solidarity. The article addresses the problem of social exclusion in the welfare state from the perspective of legal and social theory. It examines the theoretical foundations of the welfare state by virtue of an analysis of different concepts of solidarity. This analysis will help to reveal a paradigm shift which was prompted by recent welfare reforms and which has affected the foundations of the welfares state. The aim is to show how this paradigm shift has changed the concepts of social solidarity and social citizenship in the welfare state and, ultimately, facilitates social exclusion