Evolution of the Modern Welfare State

Kevin Patierno

POSC 4285 Alternative final paper

The welfare state is in its most fundamental form a simple concept, the state provides social services to the individuals who comprise that state. Today such an explanation is far too simplistic to effectively describe what the nature of the modern welfare state is, however if one wishes to understand how the current expectations came to be it helps to know the origin of states which in this sense came to be as a result of an innate desire for welfare. Humans aren't so complex as we tend to let on, the nature of modern state organization came to be as all things tend to, it evolved over time. In brief early humans naturally organized into family groupings and tribes, from this point we inevitably

One of the most important aspects of a welfare state is the issue of healthcare and Italy is no different. In 1978 the Italian national health services, the SSN, was formed as the organization charged with the organization and oversight of the universal healthcare system. Specifically the SSN is the government body charged with the distribution of tax revenues for the publicly financed healthcare system and they are also responsible for the outlining of the minimum benefits. While the SSN operates on the national level the Italian healthcare system is tiered and there is regional responsibility for the organization and distribution of healthcare within each region, all of this is managed by an individual appointed by that regions governor. While coverage itself is inherent to all Italian citizens it is also the case that illegal immigrants as well as foreigners residing in the country are entitled to equal coverage. There are to forms of public financing that contribute to the funding of this system; first there is a corporate tax which is controlled at the national level and then distributed to all of the regions and there is also a fixed amount

Means-tested benefits come into play when a family is poor, the state may then provide vouchers to assist these families with the financial burden. This means-testing in the education system carries on through the university level where public institutions have income-related fees and offer additional support for low income students. One of the most notable features of the Italian welfare state is its pension and social security system which are extremely top heavy due to an aging population and a high rate of youth unemployment. Since the 1990’s the Italian government has been working to account for the clearly unwieldy nature of this system however over the last two decades it is still a major issue for the cash strapped nation. Of the major shifts in the system the 1995 move from a defined benefits plan to a defined contribution plan has been one of the most important. Additionally the increase in the minimum age for individuals to retire with full benefits is intended to increase in future years. It remains however a major concern in Italy that high unemployment will lead to social security being an unsustainable program at the current rate. Unemployment itself in Italy is an area of concern as it has and remains a persistent pockmark on the landscape of Italian