Disciplinary Perspectives on Welfare States

Abstract

Academic disciplines offer different perspectives on welfare states, depending on what are core questions within the discipline. This review of seven disciplinary perspectives lists the following questions: Does the welfare state enhance social integration or does it undermine social integration (sociology)? Does the welfare state enhance economic efficiency or is it a drag on economic efficiency (economics)? Is the welfare state a result of conflict politics or of consensus politics (political science)? Does the welfare state redistribute to the poor or is it mainly of benefit to the better off (social policy)? Is a publicly or privately managed welfare state best able to provide cost-effective benefits and services of an acceptable quality (social administration)? Does a welfare state enable and empower marginal citizens or is it a means to control and discipline them (social work)? Does the welfare state represent a strengthening or a weakening of the rule of law (legal studies)?