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Book ChapterDOI

Social Justice and the Welfare State: Institutions, Outcomes, and Attitudes in Comparative Perspective

01 Jan 2016-pp 293-313
TL;DR: The relationship between social justice and the welfare state from an institutional, social-structural, and attitudinal perspective is analyzed in this article, where a distinction between equality, need, and merit is made between social-democratic, liberal, and conservative welfare regimes.
Abstract: This chapter analyzes the relationship between social justice and the welfare state from an institutional, social-structural, and attitudinal perspective. Drawing on David Miller’s distinction between equality, need, and merit and Gosta Esping-Andersen’s classification of social-democratic, liberal, and conservative welfare regimes, it elaborates (a) the differential emphasis welfare states give to core principles of social justice, (b) the extent to which they realize these principles through their programs and policies, (c) and what their citizens regard as just. Social-democratic welfare states stand out as distinctly egalitarian through a universal approach to social rights, low levels of poverty and inequality, and a strong egalitarianism of their citizenry. Liberal welfare states, by contrast, focus on meeting basic needs via targeted social policies, thus exhibiting high levels of poverty and inequality while citizens’ orientations display a pronounced liberalism. Conservative welfare regimes rely on social insurances to relate social benefits and contributions in a meritocratic way, involving medium levels of poverty and inequality and solid welfare state support. The concluding section discusses whether public understandings of social justice have changed in conjunction with major welfare state reforms that have occurred throughout the OECD and considers the implications for the future of the welfare state.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The American Occupational Structure (AOS) as discussed by the authors is the classic source of empirical information on the patterns of occupational achievement in American society and is renowned for its pioneering methods of statistical analysis as well as for its far-reaching conclusions about social stratification and occupational mobility in the United States.
Abstract: This book is the classic source of empirical information on the patterns of occupational achievement in American society. Based on an unusually comprehensive set of data, it is renowned for its pioneering methods of statistical analysis as well as for its far-reaching conclusions about social stratification and occupational mobility in the United States. The American Occupational Structure received the Sorokin Award of the American Sociological Association in recognition of its significant contribution to the social sciences.

103 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Basic Social Justice Orientations (BSJO) scale as mentioned in this paper measures individuals' attitudes toward the following four basic distributive principles: equality, need, equity, and entitlement, and has four dimensions that measure support for these four justice principles on the basis of eight items.
Abstract: Previous research on social inequalities relied primarily on objective indicators. According to recent studies, however, subjective indicators that reflect a person’s perceptions and evaluations of inequalities are also relevant. Such evaluations depend on an individual’s normative orientation, so respective attitudes toward distributive justice need to be accounted for appropriately. This article introduces a short scale for measuring such order-related justice attitudes. The introduced Basic Social Justice Orientations (BSJO) scale comprises current insights into the empirical justice research and measures individuals’ attitudes toward the following four basic distributive principles: equality, need, equity, and entitlement. The BSJO scale has four dimensions that measure support for these four justice principles on the basis of eight items. We assess the quality of the scale using data from three general population surveys conducted in Germany: the first wave of the panel “Legitimation of Inequality Over the Life Span” (LINOS-1), the Innovation Sample of the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP-IS 2012), and the German General Social Survey (ALLBUS 2014). The scale was found to be a valid instrument that can be used to measure order-related justice attitudes toward distributive justice. The BSJO scale is a short and therefore time-efficient instrument that can be implemented in general population surveys.

32 citations

Book
31 Aug 2020
TL;DR: The third edition of the Australian Social Policy and the Human Services (ASPHS) as discussed by the authors provides an overview of Australia's political system and has been expanded significantly to cover contemporary issues across several policy domains, including changes in labour market structure, homelessness, mental health and disability, child protection and family violence, education policy, Indigenous initiatives, conceptualisations of citizenship, and the rights of diverse groups and populations.
Abstract: Social policy encompasses the study of social needs, policy development and administrative arrangements aimed at improving citizen wellbeing and redressing disadvantage. Australian Social Policy and the Human Services introduces readers to the mechanisms of policy development, implementation and evaluation. This third edition emphasises the complexity of practice, examining the links and gaps between policy development and implementation and encouraging readers to develop a critical approach to practice. The text now includes an overview of Australia's political system and has been expanded significantly to cover contemporary issues across several policy domains, including changes in labour market structure, homelessness, mental health and disability, child protection and family violence, education policy, Indigenous initiatives, conceptualisations of citizenship, and the rights of diverse groups and populations. Written in an engaging and accessible style, Australian Social Policy and the Human Services is an indispensable resource for students and practitioners alike.

19 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the last decade, Europe has been affected by several crises, which had and still have detrimental consequences for the life of many people, suffering from unemployment, poverty and social exclusion as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In the last decade, Europe has been affected by several crises, which had and still have detrimental consequences for the life of many people, suffering from unemployment, poverty and social exclus

18 citations


Cites background from "Social Justice and the Welfare Stat..."

  • ...Research on the welfare state focuses on the acceptance and social support for government redistribution, and social policies that address individual hardship and risk (Sachweh 2016)....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyse citizens' preferences for the principles of equality, equity and need in the three welfare domains of health care, pensions and unemployment benefits in the Belgian National Elections Study of 2014.
Abstract: Empirical public opinion research on distributive justice often does not acknowledge that individuals’ social justice preferences may strongly depend on the particular type of distribution at stake and therefore does not take into account the multiplicity of justice principles that people may simultaneously apply in their distributive judgements As a result, to contribute to the understanding of differentiated justice preferences, we analyse citizens’ preferences for the principles of equality, equity and need in the three welfare domains of health care, pensions and unemployment benefits In particular, this paper provides insight into the domain specificity of distributive justice preferences, into specific configurations or combinations of justice preferences across domains and into the social and ideological basis of these configurations On the basis of data from the Belgian National Elections Study of 2014, we conduct a three-step latent class analysis Results show that the distributive justice principles are preferred to a different extent for various welfare domains and that there is a substantial proportion of respondents that combines different principles of justice across welfare domains This study also demonstrates that configurations are mainly structured by ideology instead of the social structure

10 citations

References
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Book
01 Jan 1990
TL;DR: In this paper, Esping-Andersen distinguishes three major types of welfare state, connecting these with variations in the historical development of different Western countries, and argues that current economic processes such as those moving toward a post-industrial order are shaped not by autonomous market forces but by the nature of states and state differences.
Abstract: Few discussions in modern social science have occupied as much attention as the changing nature of welfare states in Western societies. Gosta Esping-Andersen, one of the foremost contributors to current debates on this issue, here provides a new analysis of the character and role of welfare states in the functioning of contemporary advanced Western societies. Esping-Andersen distinguishes three major types of welfare state, connecting these with variations in the historical development of different Western countries. He argues that current economic processes, such as those moving toward a postindustrial order, are shaped not by autonomous market forces but by the nature of states and state differences. Fully informed by comparative materials, this book will have great appeal to all those working on issues of economic development and postindustrialism. Its audience will include students of sociology, economics, and politics."

16,883 citations

Book
01 Jan 1989
TL;DR: The state has lost its position of centrality in contemporary political theory and an emphasis on bargaining among conflicting interest have usurped ideas that embedded morality in institutions, such as the legal system and the corporation, as foundations for political identity as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The state has lost its position of centrality in contemporary political theory ideas of moral individualism and an emphasis on bargaining among conflicting interest have usurped ideas that embedded morality in institutions, such as the legal system and the corporation, as foundations for political identity. The authors propose a new theory of political behavior that re-invigorates the role of institutions - from laws and bureaucracy to rituals, symbols and ceremonies - as essential to understanding the modern political and economic systems that guide contemporary life.

4,898 citations

Book
01 Jan 1967
TL;DR: The American Occupational Structure is renowned for its pioneering methods of statistical analysis as well as for its far-reaching conclusions about social stratification and occupational mobility in the United States.

4,232 citations

Book
01 Jan 1960
TL;DR: Hayek's "The Constitution of Liberty" as discussed by the authors is a thorough exposition of a social philosophy which ranges from ethics and anthropology through jurisprudence and the history of ideas to the economics of the modern welfare state.
Abstract: In this classic work Hayek restates the ideals of freedom that he believes have guided, and must continue to guide, the growth of Western civilization. Hayek's book, first published in 1960, urges us to clarify our beliefs in today's struggle of political ideologies. "The Constitution of Liberty" is a thorough exposition of a social philosophy which ranges from ethics and anthropology through jurisprudence and the history of ideas to the economics of the modern welfare state. First, the author analyzes the ethical foundations of a free society in which liberty is not merely a value but the very source and condition of all moral values. Next, he examines the institutions that Western societies have developed to secure individual liberty. In the final section, the author discusses the relations between a free-enterprise system and a socialist one, givng a full account of the goals and methods of the present-day welfare state. Hayek ultimately tests the principles of freedom by applying them to contemporary economic and social issues.

2,816 citations