We must get rid of it or perish, they argue. I strongly disagree. I hope that this experiment will be remembered not for the disaster of the world, but for the welfare state. Our welfare systems contribute to economic growth by ensuring that the large majority of the population, including the elderly and the unemployed, can take part in economic life. This is the challenge.
Welfare systems reduce inequalities and ensure that the overall quality of life is high.
Life expectancy now in the 15 states of the European Union has become very high, is even higher on avverage than in America. The social justice aspect of the European Social Model is important, Without it, social cohesion and political stability would be hard or impossible to achieve. One does not have to look far outside the European Union to find examples of countries where a wide gap between the haves and the havenots is a root cause of crime, social unrest and political instability. There are, of course, big problems. Welfare systems can be overprotective - and many times they are overprotective.