Welfare state
The Welfare state is one in which the government looks after individual citizens in need through the provision of social welfare programmes. Examples of early welfare-states in the modern world are the Sweden and New Zealand of the 1930s. Changed attitudes in reaction to the Great Depression were instrumental in the move to the welfare state in many countries, harbinging new times where "cradle to grave" services became a reality in contrast to the harsh mass-poverty of the depression.Critics of the welfare state claim it makes citizens lazy and less inclined to enterprise. Furthermore, the Welfare State idea is criticized as not much bang for the buck, resulting in high taxes in places like Denmark (Tax level of 50,4 % of the GNP in 2002) and Sweden (Tax level of 50,3% of the GNP in 2002). Critics of the welfare state also argue that these government services are in fact inefficient and thus expensive, compared to what you would get for your money in nations with less welfare, such as the USA. It is noteworthy that these critics are seldom borne out by observed fact, as states with extensive welfare programs tend to be wealthy, active first-world states, while more lassez-faire states tend to be more impoverished third-world states.
Examples of welfare states
See also