The American and the European social dream: the competition of welfare regimes

Abstract

This article sets out to unravel the overall picture of the dominant social models in the Western world – that of the European Union and that of the United States. The American model, or “American (social) dream,” is put into direct comparison with its European counterpart, the “European social dream,” using the method of juxtaposition to analyze, in a strictly normative (i.e. evaluative) manner, the current status, trends, and future applicability of each model under scrutiny. The authors conclude that the costs for non-social policy are staggering. That is, the implementation of a comprehensive and, more importantly, effective welfare state system is essential for the survival of societies and the continuation of their particular path of social development. The absence thereof leads to more costly side-effects. The juxtaposition of both the American and the European social dreams leads to the conclusion that the former is built on unsustainable notions of penal policy, while the latter offers a real win–win solution, in terms of investment in sustainable, and hence efficient and effective, social welfare systems.