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Introduction:

There are many discussions about welfare systems, their function and impact on the societies and people&acute;s lives.&nbsp; One is how much a society shall support and promote a given activity in the society and at its citizens, like education and health. Another is to which degree circumstances leading to difficulties of any kind for people, like sickness and unemployment, fall back on people themselves to solve, or it is an issue for the whole society to take care of? How much shall the society interfere and take responsibility, and how much is it an individual issue? Every society has chosen their specific balance between these two contradicting approaches to how to live ones life being part of a society.

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All European countries have in general a kind of welfare strategy. The different European welfare states, well fare systems, are variations over the theme: common solutions or individual solutions, due to different historical, social and economical developments. The Scandinavian welfare state is normally seen to be the most developed welfare model with a common approach, paid by tax money, to most of the important aspects of the societal life. Other countries apply individual insurances, and individual saving up, as the net of security and the means for people to acquire access to benefits.

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There are different ways to how to structure a welfare system and to how much, and how many, it is supposed to cover. Two principal approaches are mentioned below.

A universal, tax paid approach:

The universal welfare model is a system that covers all citizens in the society, no matter their individual economical situation and the main societal aspects of the citizen. It is assumed to be beneficial for not only the citizens themselves, but also the society, to maintain a reasonable life situation. This can be access to education, free health service, pension to the elder etc. These are rights, e.g. laws, passed by the parliament, and mainly paid through the taxes. In this way the model also serves as a distributor of wealth from rich to poor.

Main themes: Social security, equal opportunities and high economical level of everyone in the society. Common financing of the well fare system, principal goods and services free for the individual. Distribution of wealth from rich to poor. Cooperation and equal opportunities as main driving forces in the society. Solidarity.

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An individual, insurance paid approach:

The access to goods and services are the responsibility of the individual themselves, like education, health issues, pensions etc. It is an issue for the individual to take care of and so to plan the life of the individual accordingly. The insurances, the saving up&acute;s, can be totally individual, or they can be connected to the work and the workplace, which then participate in paying the insurances. It is argued that individual insurance models fit to a more international life style with more mobility.

Main themes: Individual choice and responsibility. Individual saving up to finance the individual welfare, encouraging the individual to take care of the life situation in all aspects. More individual options &ndash; and risks. Competition and also inequality as main driving forces in the society. Individuality &ndash; on your own.

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Most European countries execute their specific blend of these two approaches: How many social and individual events and situations are supposed to be covered by the well fare system, and to which degree it is financed by tax, or by the individual. This last issue decides the tax rate. The tax rate is a commonly discusses political issue. It decides how big a part of the individual earnings that will be administrated by the public sector, and in this way also decides how big and influential the size and importance of the public sector is.

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In the recent years the variations of the universal model, with tax financing, is under pressure, and the tendency goes towards more and more individual insurance and individual payment for goods and services. A liberal economy tends towards an accumulation of capital at the rich, which on their claim to be the engines of the society and so beneficial for all. There are on going calculations and discussions on what is most beneficial: Relative high tax, free services, relative equality among people, a distribution of wealth, social stability and the opposite: Relative low tax, more individual insurances and payments, more inequality, maybe more instability. The questions dealt with are social, political and economical: Is the responsibility for the different circumstances in life related to the individual or to the society? Are individual solutions or common solutions preferable? Is the gap between rich and poor a natural process or a systemic consequence? &nbsp;

Are common, solidary solutions to socio-economic issues to prefer for all and the society, or is it preferable for all that the individual deals with whatever circumstances on individual level?

Directive:

The aim and the product of the task are related both to the title, the introduction and the directives.

Read the introduction and the related issues and make clear the overall aim.

Relevant files are added. Use them as some to choose from. Use additional sources if you find it beneficial. The origin of additional sources must be noted for control.

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Product:

1. Have a presentation with examples and your argued points of view about the issue for your team for comments. Introduce your arguments for the colleagues at work.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

2. Write a conclusion with your answers and arguments including the listed issues.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Title: The Title of the task.

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Related issues to include in the product:

a) What main kinds of welfare models are represented in Europe? What is a universal model respectively a residual model, (a selective model), and what is the main difference?

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b) What are the political implications if a welfare model is financed by taxes or financed through individual savings, insurances? How is the effect of redistribution of wealth in the different models?

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c) Examples of different welfare model in various countries - the Nordic model, the Continental model. Examples of public spending in percentage of GDP. The same in the main sectors.

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d) What can be the benefits from a welfare system and a comprehensive public sector? What are the arguments against it? What would be the consequence of not having one? What is a flexi-curity model?

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e) What kind of discussions goes on at the moment about welfare systems in Europe? What are the most obvious examples?

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f) How does the future look for welfare systems in Europe? What changes are going on, and what is the public opinion, reaction towards this? 
 
 
FILES: 
 
F2.&nbsp;file:///Users/erlinggroenlund/Desktop/Contemporary%20Europe%20task&hellip;20European%20welfare/file-Welfare%20States%20comparing.webarchive

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