Social Provision of Disabled People in Welfare States: the Scope of Social Benefits and Anti-Crisis Regulation. Part 1

Abstract

The article consists of two separate publications (Part 1 and Part 2) and analyses social security policy towards people with disability at working age in developed welfare states (social-democratic, conservative-corporatist and neoliberal regimes). Part 1 considers various approaches to reformation of state disability assistance aimed at overcoming “dependency culture” and increasing personal responsibility for wellbeing. The analysis is conveyed on the basis of international research as well as statistical data of the EU and OECD for the past 30 years. The article discusses the reasons for the growing assistance demand, the grounds for tightening the requirements for selection standards as well as the approaches to evaluation of disability. Institutional schemes of social welfare and participation conditions are accounted for. The author analyses the approaches to reducing poverty and inequality: redistribution of state expenditures within disability programmes and alternative support schemes offering people with disabilities a wide scope of social benefits based on research data and individual evaluation of health condition.

Keywords

• welfare state reform
• disability
• benefit system
• social protection
• public spending on disability