The Welfare State

Abstract

The welfare state is an instrument used by governments seeking to ensure their population against possible risks and vulnerabilities. While all high-income countries provide some form of welfare state protections, the range of welfare state experience and practices varies across them enormously. At one end of the spectrum is the American welfare state with limited degree of support to the poor and other vulnerable groups, especially in the form of means-tested benefits. At the other end are the Nordic and especially Swedish welfare states that provide comprehensive forms of insurance and assistance helping to keep poverty and inequality low. In between are other countries that have utilized welfare state policies to varying degrees, depending on their need and political supports. No doubt, different components of the welfare state have been introduced to address specific social needs and vulnerabilities that vary across countries as well as over time. But it is important to understand how the provisions and practices of welfare state policies vary across countries and over time as a necessary first step to analyze why they vary at all.