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Solidarity in the "Society of Individuals"? Guidelines on Civilizing the Welfare State
Gunter Frankenberg
; Facutly of Law, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
Abstract
The author claims that classical liberalism solely recognizes the
individualistic perspectivee of maximizing individual profit and totally
bypasses the issue of solidarity. Only ass the consequence of workers'
movement and the Marxist critique of the freewheeling market did
the welfaree state emerge to make up for the lack of solidarity. The
welfare slate, however, is based on a combination of the opposing
principles: freedom and social justice, the state of law and social responsibility,
the right to an unfettered individual development and the
limitations to individual freedom through welfare institutions. The
contradictions and the crisis of the welfare state have resulted in a
series of criticisms. Contrary to the liberal and social-democratic
cntique, the author bases his position on the precepts of a bourgeois
society as an ambience of civic solidarity. Such an attitude takes the
civic responsibility for granted not only regarding legal and political
but also social prerequisites for practising civic autonomy.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
110815
URI
Publication date:
1.2.1995.
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