Towards the Welfare State Sociology
Culture and Education, 2013
Posted: 20 Feb 2014
Date Written: 2013
Abstract
The undeniable fact is that the various social sciences and other disciplines constitute the research perspective, which relates to the practice of multidimensional phenomenon. The welfare state is an excellent example of such one, which in its nature unifies many theoretical and practical positions. It seems, however, that the economic and political dimensions of the welfare state (as conceptual or pro-social proposals) are disproportionately exposed both on the basis of scientific reflection and pragmatic approaches used by the institutions of the state. This tendency to think in economic and political terms, which incidentally is maintained for several decades, represents: (a) only one side of a complex social welfare, and (b) a significant reductionism, leading to the elimination of sociological, cultural, educational, psychological consequences of the functioning of the welfare state. This article is designed to reverse the trend of the dominant perception of the construct of the welfare state in economic and political terms, and replace it with the highlight of the mainly sociological dimension of this phenomenon (the welfare state sociology). But, it does not mean abandonment of the economic and political dimensions in general, as they are an integral part of the issue.
Keywords: welfare state sociology, social policy, capitalism, economism
JEL Classification: D60
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation