Welfare states

Robert Henry Cox

Chapter 53 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Business and Government, 2026, pp 313-316 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This entry defines the welfare state as a system of social support for citizens based on the concept of social rights. It identifies the major programs that comprise welfare states, such as poverty assistance, social insurance, social services, health care and education. It then presents different arguments scholars have advanced to explain the origins and development of welfare states. Since the 1970s, countries around the world have sought to restructure and retrench their welfare states, and the politics of the processes of retrenchment are discussed. The entry then examines how the digital economy has introduced disruptive change to welfare systems by altering employment relations, service provision and the territorial control of welfare systems.

Keywords: Income maintenance; Social insurance; Social rights; Retrenchment; Digital economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035307777
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