The Welfare State

Flashcards based on key concepts from the lecture on the welfare state.

What is the welfare state?

A government that facilitates programs promoting social welfare and commits to influencing markets and social forces for greater equality.

What historical events influenced the origins of the welfare state?

Post World War I, the Great Depression, and Post World War II.

What are some provisions of the welfare state?

Labour wages, Employment Insurance, Health insurance, Old-age pensions, Aid to the poor and people with disabilities.

What are the outputs of the welfare state?

Cash (old age pensions, unemployment benefits), Goods and Services (food stamps, subsidized housing, health care), and Regulation (minimum wage laws, child labor laws).

Who is Gosta Esping Andersen?

A Danish sociologist known for categorizing and comparing welfare states as 'regime types'.

What are the three types of welfare states according to Esping Andersen?

Liberal, Conservative and corporatist, and Social-Democratic welfare states.

What characterizes a Liberal Welfare State?

High degrees of stratification, low decommodification, and market-led welfare delivery.

What characterizes a Conservative Welfare State?

Families are responsible for welfare, moderate decommodification, and moderate stratification.

What characterizes a Social-Democratic Welfare State?

High decommodification, low stratification, and sees welfare as a right.

How does the welfare state relate to gender inequality?

Welfare states can uphold the gender division of labor, where women are responsible for domestic work and men for economic support.

According to Ann Orloff, how do gender relations affect the welfare state?

Gender relations such as compulsory heterosexuality and motherhood shape welfare state policies.

What are the two dominant approaches to gender and welfare states?

(1) Welfare states contribute to the social reproduction of gender inequality; (2) Welfare states may alleviate gender inequality.

How can comparative analysis of gender in welfare states be beneficial?

It can analyze women's roles as policymakers, influence of motherhood on formation, impact of regime types on gender relations, and how state-market relationships affect women's labor participation.