Trofimova G.A. A welfare state as an effective mechanism

Abstract: For quite a long period of time, the representatives of different ideological schools have been disputing over the need for a welfare state and the conditions of its creation, the legitimacy of social rights distinguishing along with personal and political rights, social support for citizens, its forms, amount and the reasons for its provision. To define various aspects of the welfare state concept, the author considers the issues of such a state’s function as social assistance; the legitimacy and possibility of citizens’ social claims; the distribution of risks in social protection of citizens; the grounds of the society’s taking the responsibility of social assistance provision; the forms of social assistance which should be unconditional and publicly-funded; the problems of choice of reasons for the various forms of social support provision – social assistance, social stimulation, and social compensation. From the position of materialistic dialectics, the author applies general scientific and specific methods of cognition, particularly, the logical, formal-legal and system. The demonstrated welfare state concept, in the author’s opinion, will, to a significant extent, whittle away the existing violations of the principle of equality, provide the possibility for personal self-fulfillment, create the conditions for stability and living standard growth, and help improve the legislation in the sphere of ensuring the citizens’ right to social support. 

Keywords: