The Nature of Social Policy and the Welfare States and Theories - Essay Sample

The concept of welfare states can be understood from different perspectives. First, the welfare state is a situation where a state deliberately utilizes the organized power to change the factors affecting the economic areas from three main perspectives; for example, in the provision of the minimum income for every member of the society in that particular state. Secondly, in the provision of income for a specific given social contingencies affecting the society like illness. Lastly, the welfare state can be manifested in the provision of a certain range of social services to the members of the society/state. The three directions identified above can help internalize and understand the concept of welfare state. This paper will examine the nature of social policy and the concept of the welfare state and some of the theories used to understand the concept of the welfare state in the United States through a close examination of the story Travels with Lizbeth by Lars Eighner.

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Welfare states may be understood as a form of social control and discipline for particular groups in a given society. It is a form of dealing with the social challenges such as homeless, poverty and disease outbreak in a given society. The society has undergone and continues to undergo various transformations; as explained in the course notes, the nature of human society started to experience changes a long time ago. The concept of social policy is associated with the concept of power and politics that emerged in the ancient societies. As explained in Olsens text Power, Politics and the Welfare State, the concept of power and politics can be linked with the early scholars such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Karl Marx, Adam Smith and Weber. Most of these early scholars contributed to the modern study of power and politics. Some of their key ideas are still applicable when it comes to understanding the welfare state and the social policing of the society. Max Weber understood the concept of power as the ability of the actors to realize their will despite the resistance or challenges. His definition had three dimensions; for example, the resistance and conflict, deliberate intention and finally, one persons gain is another persons loss (Olsen, 2016).

The concept of power and politics emerged with the ancient societies such as Ancient Greece that existed between 500 BCE and 500 CE (Olsen, 2016). The early modern and the medieval periods can also be used to understand the advancement of power and politics. Politics in the ancient classical societies was associated with the ancient Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. According to Olsen (2016), the ancient classical philosophers viewed politics as a form of art which can be practiced by few individuals in the society. Socrates and Plato had a common background in their understanding of the concept of politics; unlike his mentor/teacher, Plato viewed the origin and the function of the state. Plato viewed the society as a body with three elements which he called the tripartite. The three elements making up the society include economic aspect, political aspect and the military aspect (Olsen, 2016). Plato argued that social structure of a state should have the three elements identified above. As the classical liberalists argue, power and politics depend the three key ideas developed by the ancient classical philosophers; Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates. The three ideas include reason, humanism and the laws governing the society. The social contract theorists explain that politics and power are mostly associated with the enlightenment which rejects the idea of divine right (Olsen, 2016).

Karl Marx, on the other hand, explained the concept of power and politics regarding social classes and the social class conflict that exists between different classes in the society. Marx argued that the modes of product in the society are related to the social classes (Olsen, 2016). As Olsen (2016) asserts, Marxists ideologies advocate for social divisions in the society and how the social classes relate with one another. The society can be said to consist of poor and rich people. Marx further viewed the society regarding superstructure and substructure (Olsen, 2016). The superstructure consists of the law, politics, and family, gender roles while the substructure consists of the economic factors and how they influence the process of production. The social conflict as discussed by Olsen can be divided into three main areas; for instance, oppression, exploitation, and alienation. The society is divided into various social classes; the poor and the rich. The rich are the individuals who can afford their daily needs without having to struggle. On the other hand, the poor are the individuals or members of the society who cannot make ends meet; they have to struggle to obtain or attain their daily needs. As explained in the story Travels with Lizbeth, the narrator explains his experience through the struggle to make ends meet. He and his dog Lizbeth could not find anything to eat; he struggles to find food. He reports that we had eaten nothing since the night of the chicken (P. 22). After being thrown out of the house by his landlord in Austin, Texas where he worked, the narrator takes a journey to La Puente, California. As classical elite theorists argue, power and politics can be understood based on the mind and the society. According to Olsen (2016), human actions operate through residue and sentiments.

Vilfredo Pareto, a classical elite theorist, explains that the human instinct does not depend on the logic. Pareto further argues that the human actions or behavior does not depend on the reasons as well (Olsen, 2016). Gaetano Mosca, another classical elite theorist, further explains that the society is divided into two classes; the ruled and the ruling. Moscas ideologies on social policy contradict Marxist ideology that the concentration of power is inevitable (Olsen, 2016). The human nature is insatiable and self-seeking. The story Travel with Lizbeth the narrator explains how he and his dog struggle to obtain their daily needs. The narrator explains how he struggled with the social challenges including homelessness and illness while in the streets. It is not only the narrator that explains his predicaments with the social challenges; there are also some other characters like Matilda who struggles with the illness because she cannot find better treatment. Sick people are not productive and cannot help the society in any way. The narrator explains about the condition and the usefulness of Matilda; what should society do with Matilda (P. 171). As Karl Marx explained in his economic theory, the society continues to thrive with the productivity of the members of the state. Marxist theory argued that a society full of unproductive people cannot develop because people will be consuming and not produce. The case of Matilda is the same; she is sick and no longer productive to the society. Therefore, people like the narrator perceive her usefulness to the society because she will depend on other people to produce and she consumes.

The welfare state can also be understood as the means of providing and promoting the social welfare or wellbeing of the members of the state. The state has the responsibility of providing the social needs to its people. Some of the primary social needs that the society can provide for its people to promote their social well-being include good education system, better and accessible healthcare provision for every member of the society, and employment opportunities. Countries have different economic capabilities, and this determines what kind of services they can offer their people and to what extent the services can be offered. A comparative study of some countries across the globe shows that even the rich and developed nations like the United States cannot offer its people some of the primary needs like good healthcare plans. The case study provided by Olsen shows that despite being one of the most developed countries in the world, United States has not met the needs of its people. The poverty rate in the United States is very high as compared to other western nations, especially in Europe. A comparative study between United States, Canada, and Sweden in 2005 indicates that the United States has not been able to deal with the poverty rate of its people effectively. The United States leads with approximately 17% of its population languishing in extreme poverty as compared to other countries like Sweden with 8.8% and Canada with 13% poverty rate. The rate of unemployment in the United States also shows that the country is not doing well as compared to other nations in the region. A comparative study by Olsen (2016) indicates that the rate of unemployed people in the United States by 2000 was approximately 93.8% as compared to other nations like Canada with 89.7%, Sweden with 34.32% and Finland with 25.0%. A comparative study of passive measures across three different nations including the United States shows that the United States still lacks behinds when other countries have tried to deal with the problems. Olsen (2016) explains that passive measure in the United States is characterized by features such as meager, coverage high but with low recipiency. As compared to her counterparts like Sweden with generous, high coverage and high rates of recipiency, United States does have not met the needs of its people. The social assistance schemes in the United States are low as compared to other nations in the region. A comparative study shows that majority of people still lack the social insurance system that can help them access the primary healthcare services. Olsen (2016) explains that provision of social services is one of the key components of a welfare state. The international organizations such as the United Nations also regard the social rights of people as an important aspect of the states development. According to Olsen (2016), the United Nations social right policies highlights that everyone has a right to access the social services such as education, good healthcare services, proper housing, and employment opportunities.

Provision of the social services is a responsibility of the state that the policy makers should consider. The structural diversity is one of the features of a welfare state. Olsen (2016) comments on the backwardness of the United States regarding provision of the welfare services that the United States has not been able to provide its people with the important social needs. United States has not comprehensive health insurance system as compared to other nations such as Sweden and Finland (Olsen, 2016). Also, United States does not have any form of family allowance as compared to other countries like Canada and Sweden (Olsen, 2016). As Olsen (2016) asserts, the government policy is founded on two bases; the liberal political theory and the welfare economics. The two pillars determine the development of the nation. The liberalists argue that the doctrine of members of states rights is limited to the political and economic freedom. Paretos ideas provide an evaluation of welfare effects of the policies in a state. According to Olsen (2016), the major challenge in a welfare state is the existence of increasing returns to scale and monopolies; however, these problems can pose a threat to the economic development of a state. The author further asserts that power is widely diffused in the democracies. The social class conflict suggested by Marxist theory can be effectively managed and controlled without necessarily exerting a dominant influence in the political institutions (Olsen, 2016). This idea is further supported b...