The Practice of Social Justice and Its Predicament:On Pierre Rosanvallon’s Theory of the Welfare State
Author: Ying-wen Tsai
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Abstract
Since 1945, European states have been transformed into welfare states through an effort to realize social justice. However, these states have also encountered a series of economic, social and political problems, leading to the so-called contemporary “crisis of the European welfare state.” The present article tries to interpret Rosanvallon’s theory of the welfare state in the light of this crisis, focusing on two areas. The first is Rosanvallon’s analysis of the present crisis of European welfare states, the second is the arguments he elaborates for the legitimacy of the welfare state. Rosanvallon’s major contribution to the understanding of the welfare state, as the present article argues, lies in his endeavor to reconcile the manifold conflicts between different ideals of social justice, for example, the conflict between justice as impartiality and justice as caring for the differences in individual basic needs, through the principle of insurance, which he considers one of the basic characteristics of the welfare state. As regards to question of how to resolve the present crisis facing European states, the article explains Rosanvallon’s ideas concerning the decentralization of the state’s social welfare and services and the re-embedment of solidarity in civil society.