The welfare state is a political system, within which there is a redistribution of material goods on the basis of justice. The goal of this model is to achieve a decent quality of life for every citizen, smooth out social inequality and help those in need.
The origin of the concept of a social state
The concept was first proposed by Lorentz von Stein, a German philosopher, economist, legal scholar, in 1850. It was he who formulated the main provisions of the concept of a social state. In them, the author reflected innovative views of the time on the means and possibilities of state policy.
The concept of the social state of von Stein contained several fundamental points that formed the basis for a new understanding of the functions and tasks of power. the author noted that within the framework of a social state, absolute equality of rights should be maintained for all classes and individual private self-determined individuals. Power should contribute to the social and social progress of the population, since the development of one ensures the development of the other.
The purpose of the social state in the concept is thus expressed in equalizing the rights of all citizens. Lorenz von Stein excludes the possibility of using the state as an arena in which there is a constant struggle between classes. The author gives priority to the personality-state model instead of the generally accepted state-society. The key goal in this case is social and economic progress.
Concept development
At the end of the XIX century. For the first time, the first principles of the concept of a social state began to be realized. The main manifestations were expressed in the government’s struggle against poverty, activities to improve the situation of workers. The first country to pass social laws was Germany. It approved regulations that provide for sickness insurance, old-age pensions, etc. So-called Prussian socialism was born.
The concept of a social state was developed in the USA. The impetus for this was the transformation of President W. Wilson. He called for the state to cease to be considered only a "night watchman" who performed the only task - the protection of property. Instead, Wilson proposed his concept of a social state. The main achievements in improving the quality of life of citizens should be the result of vigorous activity of the authorities. key directions of public policy were reflected in Roosevelt's New Deal. It was a program for America to get out of the crisis.
After the Second World War, the concept of a social state again became of interest to European scientists. At the same time, its provisions were significantly transformed under the influence of conditions existing then. The ideal in Europe of that period was considered the concept of a liberal social state. It can be implemented subject to the coming to power of the Social Democrats, the nationalization of energy, transport, healthcare, mining and heavy industry. In the postwar years, Keynesianism prevailed in the economy.
The modern concept of the social state has been successfully implemented in the Scandinavian countries - New Zealand, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands. She received the name of the "Swedish model."
Theory specifics
The development of the concept of a social state is determined by political transformations. In fact, the government consciously assumes obligations to maintain political and social stability. From this we can conclude that the basis of the concept of a social state is a legal society. As L. von Stein himself says, the rule of law in its classic version was based mainly on the principles of personal freedom, formal equality and non-interference of power in public affairs. This, however, led to actual deep inequality, class struggle, and a crisis. This necessitated the development of a new social concept. The rule of law state had to go into a qualitatively new state in order to fulfill new tasks and functions.
The formation of theory in Russia
In 1993, a new Constitution was adopted in the Russian Federation. It became the basis for the concept of a social state. Theoretical developments, of course, existed before. But it was in the 90s that they were officially adopted by the authorities and enshrined in law. When developing them, the main concepts of social state models that existed in the pre-war and post-war periods, as well as the successful experience of the Scandinavian countries, were taken into account.
The foundations of state policy in the socio-economic sphere are reflected in Art. 7 of the Constitution. The norm says that the Russian Federation is a social state whose functioning is aimed at creating conditions that ensure a decent quality of life and the free development of each person.
Background
What prompted scientists to develop the concept of a social state and social security?
The end of the twentieth - the beginning of the XXI centuries. was a period of instability. Over the course of 20 years, a complex, haphazard and contradictory formation of the state took place with enormous losses. Despite the obvious relationship, the interdependence of social and economic policies, the first was implemented solely on the residual principle.
Today, as the domestic economy strengthens, conditions are being formed for targeted active activity of the authorities. The need to create a new concept of the social state in the Russian Federation is due to several factors.
Firstly, the country's population advocates the implementation of an active state policy that meets the principles and essence of the social state, the political guidelines of the country's head V.V. Putin on ensuring an adequate standard of living for citizens and overcoming poverty.
This need, in turn, is caused by external factors. This, in particular, is about the need for harmonization, convergence of domestic legislation and socio-economic practice with the experience and regulatory systems of the CIS countries of the EurAsEC, European countries participating in international treaties.
Development Features
The concept of a social state in the Russian Federation was created by a group of scientists and practitioners. Development was carried out on the basis of the Academy of Labor and Social Relations.
The concept of a social state created by Russian specialists was discussed at the expert council of the IPA EurAsEC. The program was approved by the participants of the conference organized at the Academy by the decision of the organizing committee in 2004.
The concept of the social state of the Russian Federation takes into account the suggestions and comments of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Social Insurance Fund, the FIU, the MHIF, as well as participants in thematic conferences and round tables.
What is a “social state"?
The concept adopted by the scientific community states the following. The welfare state is a democratic state of law, proclaiming a person as the highest value and creating the conditions for ensuring free development, decent life and self-realization of the labor (creative) potential of each person.
A decent life is considered such a level of material security of a person that meets the standards of modern society. Under the concept of a social state, an individual is guaranteed access to cultural values, protection of rights, personal security. Free development is recognized as mental, physical, moral improvement of a person.
The welfare state is considered the most appropriate way of combining power principles and the foundations of freedom to ensure personal and social well-being, social justice, and solidarity in the distribution of labor products. The last two elements are integral parts of the concept of a social state.
Key principles
The concept of a social state in Russia is based on:
- Economic freedom of a person, his right to a free choice of a type of activity, including in the field of entrepreneurship.
- Confidence in the regulatory function of the market, economic management methods.
- The development and achievement of economic efficiency of a market economy.
- Social justice and solidarity in society. They are provided through tax redistribution of income and in other ways.
- Gender equality of women and men.
- Ensuring the participation of all citizens in state and public administration, the participation of workers in the affairs of the enterprise, the development of the institution of social partnership.
- Respect for freedoms and human rights.
- Carrying out an active social policy.
- Ensuring standards of an adequate standard of living for most people.
- Targeted support for the most vulnerable.
- A program to eliminate or significantly reduce the number of poor.
- Guarantees of the formation of favorable conditions for ensuring real participation of the population in the development and examination of decisions of representatives of authorities at all levels.
- Social responsibility system.
- Guarantees of strengthening the family, moral, cultural, spiritual development of citizens, especially young people.
Priorities
At the present stage of the implementation of the concept of the social state, the following areas of activity of the authorities are established:
- Development and implementation of population policies. It is aimed at weakening and eliminating trends in population decline, implementing measures to reduce mortality (especially in children and people of working age) and increase the life expectancy of citizens.
- Creation of a socially fair, rational, effective system for distributing newly created value between labor resources, capital and the state, ensuring an increase in real wages and incomes of people, and on the basis of this - improving the quality of their life. establishment of guarantees in the field of remuneration. The implementation of these tasks is carried out with the help of labor legislation, tariff autonomy, which allows trade unions and workers to seek justice in the settlement of labor disputes.
- Saving and increasing the number of housing facilities, increasing their comfort, developing the housing and communal services system, communications and transport at the expense of budgetary support and public funds, creating decent living conditions in settlements.
- Development and implementation of a poverty eradication program, creation of a system for protecting citizens from social risks, transformation of the institution of pension and medical insurance, social protection of low-income families, people with disabilities, and other categories of citizens in need.
- Providing all citizens of the country the opportunity to work on a productive, full-time basis in a voluntarily selected area of activity; protection of labor interests and rights of workers.
- Ensuring the health of the population, worthy of the quality of life, provided that ecosystems are maintained, their life-supporting functions are maintained, and the state is ecologically safe.
- Improving the quality and role of general and vocational education, providing state support to the pedagogical system, cultural institutions, preserving the national identity of the peoples living in the country. For this, it is necessary to develop a strategy for the development of science, the creation of new technologies, and their modernization.
Service sector
In the concept of the social state, it has a special place. The development of the branches of social welfare and public services is crucial in the implementation of the tasks assigned to the state. It is achieved by expanding the existing network of institutions and enterprises in the country, improving the quality of their work, the services provided, establishing affordable cost for all segments of the population, including citizens who find themselves in a difficult life situation.
Youth policy
The concept of a social state contains several tasks that the authorities face today. One of them is the implementation of effective youth policy. It should be aimed at creating new conditions for education, work, housing, state guarantees, at educating the young generation in the best traditions of our society, on the basis of universally recognized values. It is necessary to ensure the involvement of young people in the native Russian culture, the development of their civic position, work activity, their involvement in sports, tourism, physical education.
The youth policy of the states should be aimed at the socialization of the young generation, its involvement in the management of public affairs.
Social partnership system
It acts as the most important tool for eliminating the contradictions between the interests of capital and labor. Social partnership is a process of government participation in the settlement of labor and other economic relations associated with them, on an equally responsible and equal basis with other participants - employees (including trade unions) and employers. This system of interaction allows, on the one hand, to limit the spontaneity of the market, and on the other hand, it prevents the development of administrative-command methods of management.
Social responsibility of authorities
For the effective implementation of the concept, it is necessary to establish specific responsibility for each state administration structure, the whole society, as well as an individual citizen.
State bodies (regional and federal), as well as local government institutions:
- Responsible for the implementation of social programs developed by them.
- Provide the effectiveness of education, science, culture, healthcare and other social sectors.
- Exercise control over compliance with state social services. standards, spending budget funds designed to meet the social needs of the population.
- They carry out other social functions enshrined in the legislation, agreements, and agreements between social partners.
The distribution of responsibility between different levels of government and structures of territorial self-government is carried out strictly in accordance with applicable law.
Entrepreneurs as social partners
Social responsibility of business representatives consists of:
- Ensuring the production of quality goods, combating counterfeit, counterfeit products, counterfeit medicines, food products that cause serious damage to public health.
- Timely payment of salaries, creating conditions for the constant reproduction of work resources.
- Ensuring labor protection and production safety.
- Maintaining an appropriate level of employment, participation in retraining programs in the event of liquidation of enterprises.
- Co-financing of vocational training programs for employees.
- Timely, full transfer of insurance payments to funds.
- Targeted support to citizens in need.
- Perfection, co-financing the development of objects of socio-cultural sphere.
- Social support for employees (granting loans, loans, benefits, etc.).
- Charity activities.
The social responsibility of business representatives is manifested in the financial support of the social sphere. Along with the state, entrepreneurs also contribute to the development of infrastructure.
Social Responsibility
It includes responsibility to society and its loved ones. The first is expressed, first of all, in compliance with the law and other norms, the fulfillment of tax obligations. Responsibility to loved ones, especially to the family, consists in ensuring adequate material wealth, creating a favorable psychological atmosphere, and the moral education of minors.
Social State Financing
One of the key conditions for the effective implementation of state social policy is its proper financial support. The set goals will be achieved in the planned terms only with a responsible attitude to work, the presence of a socially-oriented economic model.
To achieve the objectives, mechanisms for creating sources of financial resources are developed and implemented. They are the means of budgets and extra-budgetary funds, income from citizens, free material assistance to employers.
The price, budget, tax policy pursued by the state, monetary regulation should be aimed at solving a key problem of Russian society - improving the welfare of the population.
Legal support
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- education, vocational training, retraining, advanced training;
- creating and increasing the demand for human resources;
- culture
- the science;
- healthcare
- sport, tourism;
- support for family, motherhood, fatherhood, childhood, youth;
- ensuring environmental safety, protection from industrial and natural disasters;
- protection of social rights of citizens of all categories.
Conclusion
When implementing social policy, the state should consider all areas. At the same time, it is necessary to highlight the highest priority problems depending on the current situation in society.
Social policy at the regional, federal level has a greater degree of normative-defining, framework character - relevant decrees, resolutions, laws are developed and approved. The real embodiment of social policy is carried out at the local, district, city and corporate levels.
One of the most important instruments of state policy is social protection. It aims to prevent various adverse situations or mitigate their effects. Social protection prevents possible violations of interests, rights, freedoms of an individual from the arbitrariness of administrative bodies and employees, criminal encroachments on health, life, property, dignity, honor, etc.
An increase in the level of protection of the population is ensured through the development and implementation of a system of state social standardization. Within its framework, standards and norms of different levels (optimal, rational, minimum) are being introduced. Most of them reflect the obligations of the state to citizens of different categories and groups. Accordingly, their implementation should be financed by budget funds.