Which Welfare State? Which Social Politics? The Foundations of Generative Welfare

General Issues The experience matured during these months, analysing the data about social services in the local institutions, shows that the limits, and the brakes, of an efficient politics for social services, are represented by the absence of a correct planning, and moreover, by a rough idea of what the social services actually are.

3 Fundamental Questions Why do we decide to help someone? What do we owe to each other? What is the real aim of social politics?

3 Fundamental Questions Why do we decide to help someone? What do we owe to each other? What is the real aim of social politics? The first and the second question remind us on what basis the social contract is founded. And also, they remind us the reasons for which we need of it, and we have subscribed it. The last question defines a purpose trying to develop coherent and reasonable strategies to maximize the effectiveness and impact of social policies.

We have to consider these questions propaedeutic to every other problems. If we haven't got a clear vision about the aim of our social action, then no objective is feasible. It's obvious, maybe too simple or banal, but it's true, and it's a fact ! And we can't ignore it.

The classical approach In the context of philosophical political reflexions, the feasibility of the welfare state has characterized many discussions and it has generated many theories and perspectives. We can divide the field of research into two different approaches: Innovators and liquidators. In the first group, we find those theories which defend and consider social justice as a fundamental theme for democracy and institutional stability. The pantheon is very articulated and rich: Rawls, Sen, Dworkin, ecc. In the second group, we find those theories which consider social justice a violation of individual rights, a dangerous interference against the liberty. Authors like Von Hayek, Von Mises, Nozick, ecc. are expressions of this theoretical perspective.

Just an example… The difference principle introduced by Rawls in "A theory of Justice" was a real revolution of a political and economic paradigm in a time (1971) in which the preeminent value was represented by efficiency, and in which the principal theoretical model was Utilitarianism. Are we sure that actual historical circumstances are really different from those? Perhaps, to paraphrase a Led Zeppelin song, "the questions remain the same".

A systemic crisis The crisis of welfare state, in this age, is a systemic crisis. We have to fight against new enemies of democracy, and we have to find efficient solutions useful to defeat the new faces of poverty, and new vulnerabilities. For a crescent number of people, the line of wellness is located much more high than before. And this fact erases all the basis of social cooperation and weakens democratic institutions.

A new paradigm for Social Contract The strengthening of the social contract, in the context of the Generative Welfare, comes from a different answer, more functional, to the following questions: Is it fair benefit of individual rights without accept responsibility of equivalent solidarity duties? Is it fair consume resources "in private” without regenerate them for the others? Is it fair enjoy rights without making them available for those which come after us?

Towards greater efficiency of services Occupability by Welfare Transformative Value of the Professional Help Greater efficiency of resources Measurable effectiveness

The Functions of the Generative Welfare RaiseRedistributeRegenerateRepay Responsibility (Empower)

The Functions of the Generative Welfare RaiseRedistributeRegenerateRepayEmpower

Generative welfare promotes a shift from a system dominated just by institutions to a system that puts also the people, their capacities and responsibilities, at the center.

The 5 challenges of the Generative Welfare (1) Transform the resources in aid work to help more and better. (2) so that those who were aided, contribute to transform the cost of what have received in resources to be reinvested, (3) overcoming welfare practices that treat but not take care; look to the task and not to the outcome, (4) bringing together professional and non- professional capacities with the social and economic values put at stake, (5) by measuring the social amount generated by the meeting between social rights and duties.

Key words of Generative Welfare Human capital Resilience Empowerment Capability

Operative proposals Strengthening of specific competencies about the " helping professions " centered on: implementation of the relational skills; team management social net empowerment

Which Welfare State? Which Social Politics? The Foundations of Generative Welfare