What is the welfare state for?

Spicker, Paul

Abstract

Most states in the world make some provision for the welfare of their citizens. Every state engages with health care provision, almost all provide education services, and, after an explosion of interest in recent years, a substantial majority now have national schemes in place for cash assistance. Welfare states matter for people's lives – but there is little agreement about what one is. What are these states trying to do, and why? The book discusses the institutions and methods that characterise welfare states around the world. It focuses on the aims, purposes and justifications for social welfare services in order to explain what the welfare state is for.

Citation

SPICKER, P. 2025. What is the welfare state for? Bristol: Bristol University Press [online]. Available from: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-is-the-welfare-state-for

• Book Type: Authored Book
• Publication Date: Jun 24, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jan 31, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 25, 2026
• Publisher: Bristol University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• ISBN: 9781529250756
• Keywords: Welfare; Welfare states; Health care provisions; Education services; Social welfare services
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2675666
• Publisher URL: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-is-the-welfare-state-for
• Additional Information: This is a post-peer-review, pre-copy edited version of a summary of each chapter published in "What is the Welfare State for?" The definitive publisher-authenticated version SPICKER, P. 2025. What is the welfare state for? Bristol: Bristol University Press is made available online at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-is-the-welfare-state-for