The essential features of France welfare state - Essay Example

? The essential features of France welfare al affiliation The essential features of France welfare The conceptof welfare is a debatable topic in the field of Sociology. According to analysts and researchers in this field, the welfare states can be described as programs that have been set by the government so as ensure that the welfare of citizens is continually satisfied and constantly put under scrutiny. According to Pierson (2006), welfare states ensure that all citizens enjoy an opportunity to lead a good life in the society, through provision of the required social amenities, and other basic needs, that some individuals may not be in a position to afford. Welfare systems can be in simple terms be described as the ability to redistribute wealth from the affluent in the society to the individuals of low economic status in the particular state. This means that individuals have minimal access to resources in the society are able to lead a healthy and productive life through distribution of wealth. This, according to Palier & Bonoli (2000) is an interpretation of the fact that welfare systems attempt to incorporate all persons in the social protection, despite their ability to productively provide for their needs. This essay shall shed light on the essential features of France welfare state.  The welfare system of France is based on the foundation of solidarity. Solidarity in the case of France refers to a system whereby the various stakeholders in the country join hands to come up with measures on a cooperative support. Mutual support, in this case relates to the fact that parties join forces to elevate the status of the common French citizen. According to Pierson (2006), the French government endeavored to come up with national schemes that would cover its citizens, all in an attempt to ensure that all citizens get the best from the state’s resources, on an equal basis. Angresano (2011) continues to emphasize that the welfare system of France was based on the concept of interdependence that saw all the citizens’ share in the risks that are involved with good living in the society. The citizens are also expected to contribute in sharing the risks that come along with enjoying a mutual benefit from the government’s efforts. Of essence, this can, in simple terms be defined as reciprocated action between the French government and the citizens on defining the possibilities of their well being. In an attempt to stabilize solidarity in the French Welfare state, the government has continually made numerous attempts to upgrade its social systems so as to be at par with the needs of the citizens. Through this move, the government has managed to create healthcare systems, and social security programs in the society. Bonoli & Leibfried (2001) indicate that since the early 1970s, the French government has continually made attempts to improve social services of its employees. These services have continually been of benefit to the common citizens by supplementing the existing systems of healthcare provision. Angresano (2011) emphasizes that the ‘supposedly’ discriminated lot have been incorporated into the social systems; thus, chances of discrimination are very minimal. For instance, in the late 1980s, Revenu Minimum d'Insertion (RMI) was established that aimed at combining all efforts towards inclusion of all the French citizens in the social services provision scheme (Smith, 2004). Additionally, the government has made numerous attempts to motivating the common citizens to actively take part in the solidarity process by being responsible to the unfortunate in the society, which in their own argument, makes it easer to deal with issues collectively unlike single handedly. On another point of view the French welfare system has been labeled as among the expensive schemes in the world as it always makes attempts to spend on behalf of its citizens. The system is, therefore, a multifaceted one, intertwined with a collection of programs all in the name of social good for the nation. In the long run, various analysts and researchers in the field of social science have attested to the fact that France has never let go of the view that the social well being of its citizens is their most important priority. However, other critics argue that the policy of social inclusion by the French government holds less importance, since issues such as high unemployment levels and over dependency on the government holds much importance. Conversely, that is not the case for the French government, since according to them pensions are likely to offer long term solutions to the society’s predicaments, unlike offering employment opportunities and other programs that consume huge amounts of the country’s resources. In terms of the pension scheme, France’s scheme is one of the most munificent in the globe. The same case applies in the healthcare scheme, that though the system in the world is going through a tough time, the healthcare system in France attempts to incorporate all the citizens in the scheme. The benefits that accrue from unemployment in the society are indeed on the rise, a fact that will see the French society being forced to pay a lot of money in the form of taxes by the future generations. The future of the welfare state can arguably be regarded as bleak especially to the ones who will not enjoy the benefits of the social scheme, but pay for the debts incurred by the state’s governance. Besides the healthcare system that includes all the citizens, the France welfare system has put in place measures that allow for the utilization of the benefits from taxes to boost childcare services in the country as well as ensuring comfortability of all family units. Unlike other states like Germany and Britain, France has been on the frontline to encourage women to join the labour movement, whilst still offering incentives to women with more than two children, so as they can also lead a comfortable life. According to Gooby (2004), the welfare system of a country cannot be alienated from the political and cultural and historical background of the country. Since time immemorial, the French welfare system has enjoyed strong medical systems that have ensured insurance systems covering medical care for all persons. All funding systems from the public in this case, has been dedicated to general well being of the public, dissimilar to other countries like the Netherlands that includes NGOs to assist in the provision of healthcare services. Conclusively, this paper brings out the view that the French government runs a socially democratic state whose aim is to minimize inequalities that are existent in the country, especially in terms of social and economic aspects as indicated in the research conducted by Bonoli & Leibfried (2001). These moves by the French government have been described as antipoverty approaches that make it open for all the citizens to access social services in the country. The French citizens on the other hand, have indicated considerable interest in the social activities of the country despite their being employed or unemployed. It is justified to argue that France has managed to indicate an evocative contribution of all citizens in the society. Though the state has the responsibility of maintaining its state, the government has managed to mobilize its citizens as well. References Angresano, J., 2011. French Welfare State Reform: Idealism Versus Swedish, New Zealand and Dutch Pragmatism. New York: Anthem Press. Bonoli, G., & Leibfried, S. 2001. Welfare State Futures. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Gooby, P., 2004. Making a European welfare state? Convergences and conflicts over European social policy. New York: Wiley-Blackwell. Palier, B., & Bonoli, G., 2000. How do welfare states change? Institutions and their impact on the politics of welfare state reform, European Review, 8, 2: 333-5. Pierson, C., 2006. Beyond the welfare state? The new political economy of welfare. London: Polity. Smith, B., 2004. France in Crisis: Welfare, Inequality, and Globalization Since 1980. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Read More