Posts Tagged ‘State’
The importance of developing social capital in the Social Welfare State
Introduction
societies will be transformed over time and especially in recent decades under an axis has on the rights of the working class its main expression. Although the rights of the working classes are seen as a central element for the consolidation of the welfare state, where the pillars and foundations built in esses times are becoming less relevant as an element of social integration. This refraction of reality is part of a process of gradual deterioration of the social welfare state.
The concept of permanent employment and insurance, as a rule of safety and security of the working class becomes uncertain about the logic of labor flexibility of the present day, generating more than one form of unprotected citizens , among many others that the current changes have imposed on society. Reflections of economic globalization and international integration option i policy of the rulers – as debated by specialists. What St. reasonable explanations for understanding the flexibility and new changes in the warrant of the rights of the working classes and the uncertainty and vulnerability that generates
To understand what is considered “new social vulnerability is important to consider three central elements of this issue brought into this study: the transformation of the warrant of the rights of the working class, lower protection and the fragility of social capital. These issues have decorrido of the changes in the paradigm of Social Welfare, Fini to generate no less important changes in the structure of society.
Thus, in this work we propose to make a brief preliminary profile of the State Social Welfare elements considering its principles and objectives. In then try to reflect on the intricate web of crises which came in and the main explanations of the specialists on the international scene. Briefly describe the strokes more pronounced and the foundations of the crisis, its consequences and how they influence changes esses welfare paradigm in industrial relations and the rights of the working class. At the end will be considered the aspects related to the importance of a strong state must have a wellness model and intervention with vulnerable and excluded, highlighting the importance of social capital in coping with the issues that hinder or impede development.
State of Well Being
beginning to understand what the welfare state is what we bring them here concept that best expresses their size and purpose translated by Vicente Navarro (2002, p. 17-18) as being:
[...] public interventions have to aim to increase the quality of life and welfare of the population of a country, including such important areas in the daily lives of people such as social security, creation of employment, welfare state services like health and public health, education and family support services and programs to prevent social exclusion and social and economic development. [...]
The concept of welfare state built under the inspiration do they represent the concept of citizenship to Marshall (MARSHALL apud MORENO, 2003, p. 3) considered three types of rights involving three different ways understanding of citizenship: civil rights (liberty and equality before the law), political rights (participation in the political process of decision making) and social rights (minimum economic welfare and security for all citizens). For Marshall the welfare state could be reached as the realization of social rights, after reaching the recognition of civil and political rights.
seen the concept is intrinsically linked to the idea of an interventionist state and responsible for the lives of citizens, a state present in the daily life of people and able to promote an environment of opportunity to ensure all fundamental rights.
Overall it is a feature of Western European society, which emerged and continued to tend its best until the 70s when he went into crisis and suffered significant changes. The welfare state can be explained more simply as a system of defense and protection which the state provides to citizens to avoid coming into poverty or who lack the minimum needed to live independently.
protection system was raised to interfere in the inter-generational cycles of poverty i stop its spread among those who go down. The maintenance cycle of poverty between generations is the main cause for its perpetuation in our societies. The lack of opportunities for the development of family members that makes the situation of vulnerability is chronic over time, resulting in total inability to structural changes in the lives of people and their descendants. That reality is not treated as a priority, the situation worsens over time, prompting other relevant social issues as much and making its solution as more complex and difficult.
This new social welfare model aims to raise through a series of actions and structural policies, a complex system of opportunities at various levels for the Support to the citizens so that it was possible development of personal skills and circumstantial to interrupt the vicious cycle of poverty. The policies have to promote a set of actions aimed to develop human capital, social and productive in the territory.
Thus in general the welfare state has encouraged economic growth, contributing to the redistribution of income, reducing inequality, ensuring social and political stability, promoting social cohesion and contributing to the strengthening human and social capital.
When did the welfare, mainstream economic theory underwent many changes and the European Community attended the transition from a classical economic policy for the Keynesian model that was its rationale. The Social Welfare State economic policy changes that structured society through a set of techniques and instrumental studies, to propose a new management model based on theoretical arguments and social promotion of the citizen in its multiple dimensions.
CASTELLS Second (1989) that change in perspective occurred by three main factors. First, there was a wide consensus on the general positive nature of the ideas of progress and equality. Secondly, the recognition of the importance do Estado do active role in implementing his progressive and egalitarian meet these goals. The third factor was the existence of formulas for social pact between the organizations representing workers and two employers.
Thus, the combination look at these three main factors resulted in the substitution of the liberal model hair Keynesian interventionist state. Consequently, this new paradigm has brought favorable conditions for the spread of the Welfare State.
Keynesian model which was based Social Welfare has proposed an effective way to minimize the historical conflict between classes through arbitration, a function that happens to acquire the state and identifies very well the time of committed partnership of citizens in social processes.
The labor movement played a crucial role in expressive and structural changes esses welfare society. Through unions, pass to use collective bargaining and concretely involved in the regulation of economic processes. The Keynesian model proposed as a central condition to the creation of a tripartite political participation consists of government, trade unions and organizations, as in the Nordic countries of Europe – where better developed and remained.
The State has a key role in this new paradigm becomes a strong entity committed to the welfare of the citizens and also able to live an active and contributive to society.
Thus the state becomes responsible for creating structures indispensable for the development of people and society in fundamental ways to participate in the economy, creating jobs (public and encouraging private job creation) and construction public infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and social services.
R. studies Castel (1997) on the item listed had significant positive effects on the welfare state economy and society, which include:
• The social peace that allowed stable industrial relations and cooperative participation of workers;
• The higher income of citizenship through the social wage that the government provided the people, the working classes tend thus increasing aggregate demand and stimulate economic growth,
· investment in public infrastructure will also invigorate the market also maintaining aggregate demand,
· It was a significant expansion of employment in the sector of social services
• The participation of the plural society in areas of political deliberation, with a cohesion between the various sectors of society.
This allowed people to develop their capacity for growth and improve social relations. Then in the Keynesian welfare society merged with the middle classes the working class under the governance of the state responsible for social cohesion.
Despite the name imply that the welfare state is only a commitment of state agency, its significance is broader because it requires a joint effort of the whole society. In order for the welfare state is a necessary condition the existence of a welfare society. That is, society has an important role in defining the type of welfare state that makes it legitimate and this is where social capital is very important and responsible hair sustaining this new social paradigm.
Transformations and welfare state crisis
now proceed to outline the elements which contrast with the structure described above and define the context in which the welfare state is a crisis.
Economic Globalization and International Integration
several authors to believe, the crisis of the welfare state in particular is installed because of a severe economic crisis that came some EU countries – 15. The demands of economic globalization will generate a need for “survival” of the countries, resulting in strong international competition. To face the crisis, explain that globalization passed to require all governments to reduce public expenditure and social, labor market deregulation and the decline of social protection. Here began the process of deterioration of the welfare state.
fighting inflation became the biggest challenge governments. As said Vicenç Navarro (2007) the objective of reducing inflation appears more relevant to the European Central Bank – very visible in the Treaty of Marstrich – the stimulus to economic growth. In the dissemination of this idea, the European Central Bank had a large plot of contribution, pressing countries to adopt emergency measures to control inflation with suggested cuts in resources, including social, and a whole range of changes oppugn that the principles of the Welfare State. Here is a new paradigm that is built on a sustained obsession with inflation control, same as the cost of the most important social investment.
from that new perspective on issues involving economic crisis that the test now has more significance than the political influence and the point of compromising the principles of democracy, once the economic globalization and his intervention led to the definition of policies that best meet the needs of this new moment of crisis, fine to annihilate the possibility of choice and freedom of choice of those who govern and represent the people and society, making the Governments continue increasingly losing power.
say that economic globalization forces all states to follow similar economic and social policies, under the argument of minimization of the crisis and the orientation of a hard fight against inflation and mainly focused on economic aspects , requiring deep sacrifices of the society which is to be be involved with many issues far more complex and unwieldy as hunger, unemployment, lack of social support, violence and the emergence of a social war represented pela competitiveness for survival.
At this juncture multinationals acquire a major role in economic decisions, because they have social and economic wealth of information at international level and as much focus on external trade passed to handle large power between governments with which they relate, so that transactions affect the stability of the currency, may interfere with the decisions and policy choices of local governments.
Changes in technology have also been highlighted by various authors for their impact on the economic and social. In particular was very strong impact on employment and its characteristics. The decentralization of production, automation processes have led to a high level of unemployment, which sharpened the need to find solutions to their problems.
aggravated the crisis also the rapid urbanization of the cities with the reduction of the population engaged in the primary sector, where industrial employment remained for many a growth perspective and abandoning the field, enabling improved in the standard of living and greater social status. All these issues were justifying the need for changes in the Keynesian model.
general historical moment had produced many difficulties for countries where the social welfare model had not yet posted their strongest bases and set up social capital as a foundation for their support and strength. Theorists steeped in neoliberal thought interpreted the crisis situation in terms of welfare state’s inability to govern the new Western economies. In his speeches pass to accuse the welfare state to be a waste of resources, cause severe deficits, caused mainly by high social spending, and if the cause of the rampant inflation by inefficient fiscal policy and labor. But the issue became more complex.
Reviews the State of Well Being
Many arguments were built not attempt to show the ineffectiveness of the welfare state. To Ludolfo Paramio Rodrigo (1998) one of the strongest arguments reflects on the lack of personal stimulus generated strips available for the vulnerable social coverage, which reduces the interest and efforts of individuals to improve their capacity for labor market either to find work or change to a better one. They argue that the ease of obtaining means of survival through social policies in the welfare state finally put the subject in a state of passivity in relation to their own future.
The same thing happens, say, those who lose their jobs and their income rescue package of unemployment insurance. Second show theorists, unemployment insurance became an incentive for workers to accommodate and satisfied with the unemployed, seeking work, leaving less attractive than they would require constant quest to improve their skills and get ahead better jobs, to stay permanently in a state of inertia. Try to convince the condition for worker protection in a situation of comfort ahead of all the possibilities and potential that could develop their own efforts.
order soma to that which is truly the welfare state does not end poverty, enabling social situation subject to change in cash and in final, gaining autonomy for their own sustenance and family . Rather puts it down and dependent on state fertilizers, perpetuating their poverty because there is no incentive to overcome this situation, only prolonging the vicious cycle of poverty, now hidden in official statistics on quality of life of people dependent on the state.
Changes to the State of Well Being
the mid-seventies when severe economic crisis deepens, he began producing a stream of thought that came to defend a review on the principles that underpinned the Keynesian welfare state, depending on which generally believed that the causes of limited growth is explained by the excessive rigidity of labor markets and generous social benefits and public spending, resulting in the adoption of measures that pass to profoundly affect the nature of the Welfare State and consisted of three measures:
1. Reducing government spending and deficit reduction (following the guidelines of the Stability Pact which did not distinguish the different natures of public spending, attacking in general)
2. Market deregulation (elimination of the state sector in favor of free markets – relaxation),
3. Lowering of social protection that states offer their citizens.
All these changes, say some scholars are justified, he says, governments need to peel accompany the globalization of the market and more competitive tornare. As stated Antonio Gonzalez Early and Eugenio Torres Villanueva (1992, p. 139) was distributed [...] the idea that WAS is unable to prevent the crisis and, moreover, generated and nurtured. [...] “That is, since 1973 a number of factors converge to levan to believe the need to prevent the expansion of social welfare. Second the same authors was necessary to understand all the facts seemed to point to the demystification of state intervention and that the measures proposed were the only viable way of overcoming the crisis.
The reduction of state spending to weaken by other fine working classes. The Stability Pact does not distinguish which type of public spending cuts must suffer, including, without an analysis of degree of relevance of social expenditures. Reducing costs does not distinguish between public expenditure on investment of current public expenditure.
shows Vicenç Navarro (2007, p. 425), “[...] to public expenditure in the same category without discriminating the nature of that public spending is a big mistake that affects not only the welfare people’s social but also economic efficiency of the EU member countries – 15. [...] “
Among public expenditure suffered cuts, highlights the employment sector, one of the most affected. Public spending by creating new jobs in public or private incentives exacerbated the crisis of unemployment in many EU countries – 15. It is an important premise in the model of Welfare to job creation must be understood as a state responsibility, so beyond the state to create new businesses need to ensure favorable conditions for expansion of jobs, including through public expenditure.
The author quoted above (2007, p. 25-34) increases that “[...] the majority of jobs created in the last ten years in Sweden and Britain, two countries that are often presented as models job creation has been stimulated by public expenditure. [...] “
That’s important because the quality of work and satisfaction that it causes among workers in their daily activities, reflect on their lives so they can relate to the longevity of a person and their physical and mental health . The neglect of this creates a deep conflict in society and other expenses socal.
deregulation launched explains the fragility of labor relations worsened with the requirement of flexibility of the economy to remain competitive. Labor deregulation and flexibility are issues that will eventually induce a high vulnerability of employment.
other facts that historical context, the weakness worsened further work such as this new business environment of strong international competition that subjected the economy to intense competitive pressure. Thus the international competitiveness spent to acquire a sense of purpose essential to the survival of businesses also causing changes in employment. That led to development of strategies and policies focused on reducing labor costs for overcoming the crisis.
flexibility emerges as a major threat to the working class because it involved loss of protections associated with the job, need for acceptance of individual working conditions, more and more distant from the collective bargaining frameworks that disappears for most of the productive sectors and labor, loss of mass strength of the labor movement.
Javier Ramos-Diaz (2007) despite the fact that labor flexibility and social security can be presented as incompatible strategies, has emerged a new category that combines these two elements on the basis of the knowledge economy and could ensure Europe the opportunity to benefit from economic globalization, changing the concept do that is security for the safe understood not as a full-time permanent work, more if the worker being permanently employed, through social policies to help workers navigate the labor market.
then said (2007, p. 214): “[...] The concept is part of the” Lisbon Strategy “which seeks to achieve by 2010 that demonstrates how states seek a national approach to the problem while the solution must in fact be global. [...] “
about that says Vicenç Navarro (1995, p. 14) that despite the merits of this claim that the solution to the crisis of the advent of a coordinated action with other countries, deeply influenced by the theory Global systems Wallerstein, “[...] the expansion of the welfare state in each country is certainly part of the solution and not part of the problem. [...] “
Ochando Carlos Claramunt (1999), as important as the concept is to understand that there is no one single model of the welfare state. Therefore, we must accept that there is a wide diversity of welfare states in Europe because the configuration of these depends on many factors and characteristics that contribute to form different models and different institutional trajectories. It is even significant in shaping the welfare state society’s political career, which may justify their level of frailty or strength, in the midst of this international crisis.
The analysis of the crisis reveals that the wages of workers to longo in recent years, after climbing up to the year 1975, staked and then dropped rapidly, causing a large drop in income workers. The quality of work deteriorated in large proportions, leaving large numbers of workers living under pressure, with high labor intensity, deteriorating working conditions for large sections of popular classes and increasing occupational diseases due to stress.
Meanwhile is no other point, that the decomposition of the welfare state and consequently the loss of guarantees for workers depends basically on the policy choices of each government and its political course, much more than – as say many – globalization and international integration, with all the implications that happen.
Some of the countries of the EU-15 GDP have increased social spending and job security remain among the most globalized, which has not happened to Spain, yet. This challenges the simplistic explanation that attributed to globalization and international interaction the essential need for changes in the welfare state and the deterioration in the condition of the working class that this new conception has occurred.
Nordic countries in Europe, though more globalized san also those with higher levels of development and have provided greater social protection and consequently have had more interventionist state, demystifying a neoliberal logic of the need for changes in Keynesian model to become more competitive and survive by selling to international market competitiveness.
esses states the characteristic of “strong state” has justified its level of development, are increasingly signing as comprehensive welfare state, universal or that favors maintaining the status of competition in economic globalization and international integration.
These countries are characterized by highly redistributive policies and full employment, thereby facilitating the creation of jobs both private and not in the public sector, thus encouraging the integration of women in the world of work This explains the higher employment rates look at these countries among OECD countries results.
Vicente Navarro, John Schmitt and Javier Astudillo (2002) challenge the affirmative of neoliberais on the influence of globalization on the changes that have occurred in the State and Welfare, stressing that political variables are much most influential in each State to determine social policies. They say that after a thorough study that finds that the most important for the effectiveness of social welfare has been the strength of social democratic movement.
They say other factors explain better and had more important than globalization in shaping the welfare state, such as the participation of women in the labor market.
this important study was that the countries of social democratic tradition, with strong movement committed to gender equality, integration of women have been higher by growing strength of the expansion of support services families. What has not happened in the countries of Christian Democratic political tradition, much less in countries with liberal traditions. Considering the diversity of welfare states, the countries where it is strengthened and expanded are those in which Social Democratic movements have been stronger.
Social Democratic countries there has been a high degree of unionization of the workforce, which shows high degree of social capital development. They have had a high degree of integration of trade into the international market, its policies is based on the principle of universality that are based on the right of citizenship. The data reveal that even in the nineties continued to be the countries with higher public social expenditure and greater public use of all OECD countries results. Finally, it is important that these remain the Nordic countries who continue to have higher rates of growth of public spending.
Contrary to this, the Anglo-Saxon countries have lowered their level of development, unemployment getting higher and higher. What happens is that in the Nordic countries signed a tripartite pact between government, unions and business organizations, clearly distinguishing labor flexibility do that is job insecurity. What makes that job security is guaranteed esses countries through active and full employment policies, which are an important area of political participation the most important sectors of society.