CHAPTER 14
The Welfare State
Chetna Sharma
Reader’s Guide
This chapter lays out the characteristics of the welfare state in concrete terms to help us grasp how it differs from a capitalist or neoliberal state. The welfare state is a system aimed to steer the capitalist juggernaut along a more socially acceptable track, whereas the capitalist economy is a dynamic machine for producing private profits through competitive production and market exchange. The term ‘welfare state’ has led to some of our misconceptions about it. Welfare states do not focus solely on ‘welfare.’ They deal with social protection, social rights, social provision, and the social control of economic activity, all of which have a wider range of beneficiaries than only ...
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