THE WELFARE STATE AND THE PARTICIPATORY SOCIETY: A FALSE DILEMMA

Abstract

The welfare state is a basis of consolidation of the modern Russian society. Unfortunately, the polarization of society reproduces excessive inequality which is a barrier to the internal solidarity of the Russian nation, economic growth and development. The concept of «society participation» (participatory society) is being put forward as an alternative to the welfare state. It implies the reduction in social public spending given that the population participates in providing the funding for social programs. In market conditions, the government cannot be the only responsible for social issues; on the other hand, the problems of living standards improving and especially the fight against poverty cannot be resolved only by the citizens. The application of participatory approach and its integration into the public and local administration would provide a new opportunity for citizens to influence the management of the welfare state and participate in managing.

Keywords

• welfare state
• participatory society
• excessive inequality
• extremely critical indices
• social technologies