Future of the welfare state?

This chapter discusses whether crises are new, and recapitulate why they have a welfare state. It looks at the challenges facing welfare states and developments, and concludes on the prospects and ideas about the welfare state in the future. The chapter deals with core reasons for having a welfare state, but also how criticism of the welfare state has been argued especially from a liberal perspective. Welfare states have been recalibrated, recast, dismantled, restructured, and many other words have been used to describe the various types of changes in what and how the welfare states finance and deliver welfare services in kind and in cash. The welfare state will have a central role as the one with the options and power, making it possible to reduce the negative impact upon employment and equality from the large up- and downturns in economies, and radical changes in the labour market.