Welfare State: From Dream to Reality
Abstract
It is customary to defend and develop the welfare state by appealing to benevolent dreams and expectations and to exclude analysis on what really happens when popular plans are turned into action. The article shows that there are serious problems in every welfare dimension; public services, public regulation, financial transfers, and intergovernmental relations. The purpose of the article is to uncover what these problems are and to demonstrate how they could be solved. If they go unsolved, they provoke criticism which weakens the legitimacy and trust in public authorities.