POLITICS AND ETHICS OF THE WELFARE STATE
Keywords:
social justice, social security, ethics, politics, free market, constitutionAbstract
The welfare state is often considered the crowning glory of the democratic form of government. The ethic and ideal of social welfare is, however, as old as the ancient civilisations. The scriptures of the major religious traditions of humanity are replete with references to the duty of the well off towards the poor and the vulnerable members of society and also to the vision of a just socio-economic order. However, when it comes to the means of realizing such a social order, there are two competing ethical paradigms, one calling for direct and maximal state involvement in welfare through the setting up of a publicly financed social security programme, and the other arguing that the free market is the best mechanism for ensuring social justice. Today, we find ourselves in an era of global economic crisis and the question of a fiscally sustainable welfare state generates intense debate across the political spectrum. This paper presents a historical overview and attempts an analysis of the ethical principles at play in this debate.
References
M. K. Gandhi, Young India, 4-4-1929, 110 as found in E-book version of The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi: Encyclopedia of Gandhi’s Thoughts, R. K. Prabhu & U. R. Rao, eds., Ahmedabad: Navajivan, 1967, (http://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/mindof mahatmagandhi.pdf p. 194,
“Muhammad and the Religion of Islam,” The Encyclopedia Britannica: Macropedia, 15th ed., 2007.
Charles Dickens, Works of Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, vol. 1, New York: Townsend & Co., 1861, 35.
The Economist, June 22, 2013http://www.economist.com/news/europe/2157 9827-socialist-president-who-has-no-alternative-cut-pension-and-welfare-spendingfaces,
The Economist, July 20, 2013 http://www.economist.com/news/americas/215 81990-and-eventually-perhaps-one-currency-tempo-reform-accelerates-money-starts,
Richard D. Altick, Victorian People and Ideas, New York: Norton, 1973, 122
Friedrich Engels, Condition of the Working Class in England (1845).http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/condition-workingclass/ch13htm
Kenneth Barkin, “Bismarck,” The Encyclopedia Britannica: Macropedia, 15th ed., 2007.
Joseph A. McCartin, “The New Deal Era,” Oxford Companion to United States History, Paul S. Boyer, ed., New York: Oxford University Press, 2001, 546.
Robert Conquest, The Harvest of Sorrow, New York: Oxford University Press, 1986, 299-307.
Kenneth G. Lieberthal, “China,” The Encyclopedia Britannica: Macropedia, 15th ed., 2007.
Manfred B. Steger and Ravi K. Roy, Neoliberalism: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010, 15-45.
The Economist, 18 December 2008, http://www.economist.com/node/1281 8310, . John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1971, 60.
Times of India, Dec 29, 2010, http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ 2010-12-29/india/28661327_1_slum-clearance-sanjay-gandhisterilization, .
Amartya Sen, The Argumentative Indian, New Delhi: Penguin, 2005, 206.
Press Note on Poverty - Estimates, 2011-12 Government of India, Planning Commission, July 2013, http://planningcommission.nic.in/news/pre_pov2307.pdf, .
Atul Kohli, “Politics and Redistribution,” Oxford Companion to Politics in India, Jayal and Mehta, ed., New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 505.
