Today, the issue ofwhat is meant by the concept of "social state". We live at a time when the implementation of its principles becomes not only possible, but necessary. So what is a welfare state? Let's see.
The very concept of "welfare state"It is a principle (characteristic) that relates to constitutional and legal status. It assumes that the constitution guarantees social and economic rights and freedoms of a person, as well as the corresponding duties that it assumes. A welfare state is a state that should serve society, strive to ensure that social differences are minimized or completely excluded.
Is Russia a social state?
The RF Constitution gives a positive response to this.question. It says that our country is a social state. And the concept of a "welfare state" means that the country's policy is aimed at creating conditions in which free development of a person and a decent life for everyone would be ensured. Consequently, the Russian Federation seeks this.
State obligations enshrined in the RF Constitution
In order to better assimilate the concept of a “welfare state” and its essence, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with its duties, enshrined in the RF constitutionally. Among them are the following:
- protect the health and work of people;
- to establish the minimum wage, which is guaranteed;
- provide family, childhood, paternity, motherhood, senior citizens and people with disabilities with state support;
- develop the existing system of social services;
- for citizens to establish benefits, state pensions and other guarantees of social protection.
The essence and purpose of the state of a social type
The union of all nations, nations, socialgroups, united by the special concept of "civil society", is the essence of the state of a social type. A welfare state is a state whose goal is to ensure the protection and interests of society as a whole. It is built on the recognition of legitimate interests, freedoms and human rights, which are considered as the highest value.
The welfare state is politicalan organization that is an institution aimed at organizing a society as a whole, worthy of everyone’s life, protecting the freedoms, rights and interests of all peoples and citizens. It is a tool for resolving conflicts and disputes both in the country and outside it. This is what the concept of "social state" means.
It is closely related to the institution of law.Only a legal state, that is, one in which the mechanisms of the rule of law are already sufficiently developed, can become social. Since the mid 90s. in a situation where, on the one hand, liberal ideas were spreading, and on the other hand, the social role of the state and the demands put forward by society with regard to social policy increased, new ideas began to take shape about the type of state that interests us. A welfare state is a state that is considered today as a mechanism that removes contradictions between social goals and the laws of the market. This is a very important characteristic of it.
Waiver of paternalistic role
The welfare state, unlike socalled the "welfare state", seeks today to abandon the paternalistic role. It is focused on eliminating dependency. The welfare state is a state for which the desire to create favorable conditions for society through a market economy, which is socially oriented, is characteristic.
Periodization of development
Beginning in the mid-90s. in our country, the period can be called the stage of the liberal social state. The following types of the latter are distinguished:
- socialist (from the 70s of the 19th century to the 30s of the 20th century);
- legal social state (from the 30s to the end of the 40s of the 20th century);
- The state of social services (the end of the 40s - the 60s of the last century);
- the state of universal prosperity (the end of the 50s - the mid-80s);
- a stage of crisis and destruction of the welfare state (the 80s - the mid-90s);
- a liberal social state (from the mid-1990s to the present).
Signs of the welfare state
Formed over 100 yearsthe definitions of the concept of interest to us contain, for all their apparent heterogeneity, a limited set of permanent features. The first of these is the availability of social support to the state for all members of society. The second is the legal nature of the implementation of social policy by the state, its right to regulate and control social processes. At the same time, the legal function is not only to regulate social processes, but also to confer social rights on citizens. The state is socially responsible. The third constant sign is the presence of budgetary social payments. The fourth is the existence of a state system of employment, social security and social protection. Fifth - the recognition of their responsibility for the level of welfare of citizens. A welfare state is a state in which all these signs are present.
Social politics
Social policy is one of the maintools serving to implement the welfare state. The relationship of the latter with it is manifested primarily in how deeply and fully it conducts social policy, and also to what extent it expresses the interests and needs of its citizens. Thus, the welfare state is when the principles of social policy are in place.
Its direction is to achieveresults and goals related to improving the social and material well-being of citizens, improving the quality of life of people and achieving social and political stability in the state, preventing the emergence of hotbeds of social tension in it.
Functions
So, we answered the question: "What does the concept of a" welfare state "mean?". Consider now the functions it possesses. Speaking about them, you should consider the following circumstances:
- The social state has all the functions that are traditional for any state;
- their general social significance is superimposed on their content, therefore postulates, which are traditional, are refracted through the prism of the tasks and goals of the welfare state;
- it is possible to single out within the framework of the social function and the individual, specific directions in which the activity of the welfare state takes place.
In particular, the latter include:
- protection of human health and labor;
- support for socially vulnerable groups;
- support of paternity, motherhood, family and childhood;
- smoothing by redistributing the income of social inequality;
- encouraging charity, etc.
"Human" dimension
Not only political and economic, but also the moral process is the formation of a welfare state. It requires a "human" dimension. Signs of such a state are:
- democratic organization of the system of power;
- high moral level of the population, and officials first of all;
- powerful economic potential, which allows for the implementation of various measures aimed at the redistribution of income, while not significantly affecting the position of owners;
- social orientation of the policy of such a state, manifested in the development of various social programs, as well as the priority of their implementation, etc.
Obstacles in the way of the welfare state in Russia
one.Our country has not yet gained sufficient support in law, and in Russia the social state cannot rely on its foundation. In our country, its creation is not, as in the West, a new stage, which the legal state undergoes in its development.
2. In Russia, the "middle stratum" of owners has not yet been created. From the party-state property, spontaneously privatized, almost nothing went to the majority of the population of our country.
3. Russia lacks the economic potential necessary for the implementation of measures aimed at the redistribution of income, without significantly compromising the autonomy and freedom of owners.
4. In our country, monopolies in many important types of marketing and production have not yet been eliminated. This leads to the fact that there is no real competition.
5. There is also a mature, developed civil society.
6The level of morality in Russian society is reduced, the spiritual guidelines of equality and justice are almost lost. With the help of “professional” politicians and ideologues, as well as the media, the public consciousness affirms the pernicious idea that economics and politics are incompatible with morality.
7. Political parties that exist in Russia do not have clear social programs.
eight.In the process of liberation from the intervention of the state of the Russian society, the social role of statehood is reduced by inertia. That is, society has fallen into another extreme, and the citizen has remained alone with the elements of the market.
9. In society, there are no real, clearly defined goals, there are no models of living arrangement that are scientifically verified.
Despite all of the above difficulties,the only way for the development of a free society in our country is the development of social statehood. This applies not only to Russia, but to all other countries.
So, you learned about what the concept means"welfare state". This topic is addressed in the study of such disciplines as political science and law. When passing the exam in social studies is required to have an idea of what a social state. This concept should ideally be known to every citizen.
