Today, one can often hear declarations that a country is a social state. And the question arises: what is a social state? What is its specificity? Is each state social?
The concept of social state
In its most general form, a social state is a state whose main principle is the desire for an equitable distribution of goods in the country. His policy is implemented in an effort to reduce the dire consequences of the material stratification of society, the main emphasis is on helping disadvantaged representatives of the needy. The concept of a social state is closely related to the phenomenon of social security. In such systems, the state undertakes to maintain a decent standard of living for citizens in need by taking part of the income from people who have reached a high level of material security.
Thus, the essence of a social state is the existence of guarantees to ensure dysfunctional groups of the population at a decent living standard. Moreover, resources for such material support are drawn from the tax burden on the shoulders of more affluent fellow citizens.
A bit of history
The social system of the state was first declared by the German economist Lorenz von Stein in the mid-19th century. He conducted an in-depth analysis of the process of the formation of capitalism in Germany and came to the conclusion that the state should be built on the ideas of equality and justice, that it should strive to raise the standard of living of the lower strata to the middle and higher levels. The social state in its interpretation is a system that ensures social progress.
The development of Stein's views was introduced by Friedrich Naumann, who promoted liberal views on the economy. The socio-political state, in his opinion, through active intervention in the economic system should establish a procedure in which not only the protection of property and the law, but also social reforms in the name of justice will be a priority.
Such ideas became a platform for the formation of the social democratic movement, which was gaining strength in Germany at the end of the 19th century. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in the country, under pressure from the popular labor movement, the protection of socially vulnerable classes was enshrined in law. These ideas were the impetus for the implementation of reforms in Germany, in particular, for the first time, a pension insurance system and the financing of medical care for employees at the expense of the employer appeared. The ideas of the social structure of the state also penetrated France and England, where, under the influence of trade unions, measures appeared to regulate social relations by the state.
In the USA, the ideas of the social state find strong support during the economic crisis of the 30s of the 20th century. President Roosevelt legislates the right of workers to create trade unions that protect their rights; he reduced the length of the working day and banned the exploitation of child labor. In the UK, a significant role was played by the Beveridge report, which spoke about the welfare state, in fact, a synonym for the social state.
The appearance of the Soviet state introduced a new surge in the development of the concept of a social state, since it legally consolidated the social orientation of its policy.
After the Second World War, the German government for the first time enshrines in the Constitution of the country the name of the state as social. After this, all the major Western countries begin to declare the principles of social justice as the main postulate of statehood. The popularity of these ideas continued until the mid-70s, when the concept has many opponents, and it begins to transform. Economic crises of the late 20th - early 21st centuries cast doubt on the rationality of this concept, although Western countries are not in a hurry to officially abandon it.
The conditions of the social state
Not every country can call itself a social state. For its formation, compliance with a number of conditions is necessary. A social state is a model that is possible when certain conditions are created:
- High level of moral development of citizens. The social state is characterized by prevalence moral values above all others, all members of society, especially management, must adhere to the ideas of equality and justice.
- The democratic system. To implement the principles of social security in a state, the principles of freedom must be implemented.
- High level of economic development of the state. In order to be able to provide social security for the poor, the state must have large reserves.
- Socially oriented type of economy. The state, in order to be able to regulate economic processes, must have a large number of different enterprises with its participation. This allows you to regulate employment and redistribute income in favor of the disadvantaged.
- High level of legal development. An obligatory companion of the social state is the high level of development of legislative and civil initiatives. Civil society and the rule of law are a platform for socially oriented policies.
- Social policy of the state. The priorities of state policy should be social projects to mitigate the effects of inequality and various support for the poor. The state should strive for universal justice, set itself the goal of achieving prosperity for all the people of society. Among these goals are the creation of equal starting opportunities for people of all classes, social security of all citizens of the country, decent living conditions for all, including the disadvantaged.
- Consolidation in the legislation. The term "social state" should be fixed in the constitution of the state.
The characteristic features of a social state
The social state can be recognized by the following criteria:
- Fair pay. The state guarantees decent wages for all working citizens, regardless of their position.
- Satisfied customers. Residents of the social state have a high consumer level, they can satisfy not only the primary needs for food, housing, security, but also choose high quality items that satisfy these needs. In addition, the population should be able to implement plans for self-fulfillment and satisfy social and spiritual needs.
- Regulated social protection system. The satisfaction of the population with their life depends on the social policy of the state, it must create a system that helps people with limited resources to satisfy their needs at a decent level. A sign of a social state is a well-functioning institution of assistance to those who cannot provide for themselves: people with disabilities, pensioners, children, large families, and unemployed.
- Leveling social differences.In a social state, through various types of assistance, the gap in the standard of living between rich and poor due to redistribution of income should be reduced. The emphasis is on pulling the poor to a decent standard of living. The gap between the incomes of the upper and lower layers of the country's population should be about six times.
- High-quality socially significant service industries. It is extremely important for the welfare state to establish effective work in such areas as medicine, education, housing, transport. Social services provide a decent standard of living and public satisfaction.
- Legal resolution of conflicts. The social state is characterized by a low level social conflicts but, if they arise, they are resolved peacefully through the instruments of civil and legal society.
- The embodiment of the principles of social justice. The distribution of the country's wealth, the provision of opportunities for all to satisfy not only their primary needs, should proceed from the interests of all the inhabitants of the country. Every citizen receives from the country as much as she gives.
- The primacy of moral principles of behavior. In a social state moral standards behaviors are charity, mutual assistance, altruism, mercy. Moreover, they are characteristic not only of state policy or individual groups of people, but also of most citizens of the country.
Social functions of the state: reality and declaration
Like any other state, the social performs all traditional functions: political, economic, social, law enforcement, environmental and many others. However, the emphasis in their implementation is always placed in the direction of social protection of the population. Moreover, there are specific social functions of the state, these include:
- Support for vulnerable populations. It can be material in the form of subsidies to the unemployed, people with disabilities, senior citizens, and socio-psychological, in the form of various consultations, trainings, courses on psychological unloading and correction of depressive conditions.
- Labor protection and public health. The state creates decent conditions for the performance of any work, monitors compliance with norms and laws. It also provides regular medical care at a high level, focusing on disease prevention.
- Promotion and stimulation of charity. The state has tax mechanisms that can make charity not only socially approved activity, but also economically viable.
- Support for motherhood and childhood. The state is creating institutions to help parents raise their children, regardless of income. It provides quality medical care and a system of educational services, as well as develops mechanisms of material support for needy families.
- Smoothing the effects of the social stratification of society by redistributing incomes, the state reduces the gap between rich and poor.
- Ensuring employment of the population. The state creates the conditions for each person to find work according to their abilities and capabilities, stimulates entrepreneurship to create jobs, and supports low-paid, but socially significant sectors.
- Concern for solving environmental problems, for the preservation of peace.
- Support for various projects, initiatives and programs in the social, cultural, educational sphere.
Thus, the welfare state is a complex system of institutions and mechanisms to support the population and create a quality standard of living for citizens. No state has yet been able to fully realize these functions, but there are countries with a significant approximation to the ideal.
Types of social states
Socio-economic development of the state can go in different ways and leads to the emergence of various types of social states. Researchers identify such varieties as:
- Positive state of social protection. A type built on the desire to create a society of equal opportunities. A sample of this type is the United States.
- State of social security. In this type, social protection requirements are added to ensure a stable income for all citizens not lower than the subsistence level. Sample - UK.
- A welfare welfare state. The state seeks to equalize the level of income and opportunities for all residents. An example is Sweden.
There is also an attempt to build a classification depending on the dominance of market or social requirements in government policy. In this case, the conservative, liberal and social-democratic types of social state are distinguished.
Implemented Projects
The concept of a social state in several different forms has taken root in many countries. So, the social states are Western countries, as well as Australia, Canada, Japan. Various models are implemented in them, all of them are based on moral principles and the practice of liberal ideas. A slightly different format of the social state is implemented in countries where the source of wealth is oil production, these are the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, where national income is distributed according to local ideas about justice.
Russian reality
The question naturally arises, but is Russia a social state? Despite the fact that since 1993 the country has legislatively fixed a social priority in politics, there are still doubts about the reality of this declaration. Social protection institutes exist in Russia, but the gap between rich and poor is too wide, the healthcare and education system is far from the high standards of civilized countries. Therefore, one cannot yet say with confidence: Russia is a social state.
Difficulties in building a social state
The social development of the state faces many problems, the main of which are:
- The instability of the global economy. The crises of recent years have shown that not all states can afford social orientation due to falling incomes.
- Inconsciousness of citizens. The welfare state is faced with the fact that some segments of the population are turning into dependents and tend to receive benefits without giving anything back. Especially this problem was revealed by the migration crisis in Europe, when thousands and millions of citizens begin to apply for benefits and the state is not able to provide all with dignity.
Thus, the social state and society have not yet become the dominant type in the world order.
Criticism of the social state
The concept of a social state has many opponents and critics, which became much more in connection with protracted financial and political crises. The population of Europe is accustomed to receive more than give, which leads to an increase in social discontent, especially in a situation of lack of resources to fulfill social guarantees. Critics say that today the concept of a social state, if it has not outlived itself, then requires a significant revision.
