If we try to understand about the concept of providence state from the basic fact of this study, we will know that it is close related with the definition of welfare which belongs to a state, called welfare state system. This statement was firstly appeared in the international system began from the epithet of the rich countries or the revolution countries in the West, such as British Kingdom, France, and spread to the other countries like Sweden, USA, and so on.
According to encyclopedia.com who was written by David Randall, the providence is God's fore-knowledge, beneficent care, and governance over the universe at large and human affairs in particular. Providence also refers to God himself in his providential aspects, to a person who acts as the means of Providence, and to an act (favorable or unfavorable) witnessing or manifesting God's will. Providence is the hinge that explains and gives moral value to worldly events in terms of religious doctrine. The word derives from the Latin providentia, 'foresight'.1 Historically, the concept of providence was most contested and most invoked in the Latin West. It had always been important in Catholic theology. But in its developing, among Protestants, particularly among the reformed, providentialism was far more intense, and it permeated their thought and culture. Meanwhile, if we relate it to the social-economic aspect, we will see that providence is the prudent management in economy or the care, guardianship, and control exercised by a deity.2 But basically, providence is a concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for a good life. The general term may cover a variety of forms of economic and social organization.3 So, from few explanations of the main concept of providence, we can take the point that providence was the seed of the developing of welfare system in Europe for the next years.
Well, after we comprehended about the meaning of providence, now we move on to analyze the definition of welfare and a welfare state. There are many different types of welfare, but each are generally concerned with a government trying to provide for the welfare of its citizens. This may take place through social welfare provisions, social security, or financial aid. When the government is seen as supporting businesses directly, rather than allowing the Free Market to cause some businesses to fail, it is pejoratively described as corporate welfare. And when a government allows its welfare programs to grow to a point deemed excessive by critics, they may choose to describe the government as a welfare state.4 The idea of the welfare state means different thing in different countries. First, if it focuses on an ideal model, the welfare state usually refers to an ideal model of provision, where the state accepts responsibility for the provision of comprehensive and universal welfare for its citizens. Second, when a welfare state means state welfare, some scholars mean welfare provided by the state. (this is the main use in USA). And third, if it belongs to social protection, in many welfare states, social protection is not delivered by the state at all, but by a combination of independent, voluntary and government services. These countries are still usually though of as a welfare states.5 Britannica.com means a welfare states in different aspect, they are politic, economic, and also business. But generally, it means a system in which the government undertakes the main responsibility for providing for the social and economic security of the state's population by means of pensions, social security benefits, free health care, and so forth.6 Sometimes it defines as a country in which government provides many services to its population, particularly in the areas of medical care, minimum income guarantees, programs of public health, unemployment compensation, public housing, retirement pensions, and the like. The expression welfare state is often used by those hostile to government intervention in these areas.7 A basic feature of the welfare state is social insurance, intended to provide benefits during periods of greatest need (ex. old age, illness, unemployment). The welfare state also usually includes public provision of education, health services, and housing. In countries with centrally planned economies, the welfare state also covers employment and administration of consumer prices. Most nations have instituted at least some of the measures associated with the welfare state; Britain adopted comprehensive social insurance in 1948, and in the U.S., social-legislation programs such as the New Deal and the Fair Deal were based on welfare-state principles. Scandinavian countries provide state aid for the individual in almost all phases of life.
Going towards to the cases happends in several Europe’s countries, in this essay we are going to focuse only on three kinds of citizens in different states which had close related with the concept of providence or welfare state in Europe, of course. They are French, English, and Swedish. First, the French. The providence or the welfare aspect of France government to its citizens through social protection. Social protection in France is based on the principle of solidarity, it means the commitment is declared in the first article of the French Code of Social Security. The principle is used in a number of different senses. The idea seems, at first sight, to refer to co-operative mutual support. Some writers apply the term in relation to 'mutualist' groups (friendly societies) and emphasise that people insured within national schemes (les assurés sociaux) are called to contribute and benefit on an equal footing. Others stress that relationships of solidarity are based in interdependence. Solidarity is usually understood, in this context, in terms of common action, mutual responsibility and shared risks. Since the 1970s this pattern of solidarities has been supplemented by additional measures designed to bring 'excluded' people into the net. The most important of these measures is the Revenu Minimum d'Insertion (RMI), introduced in 1988, which combines a basic benefit with a personal contract for 'insertion' or social inclusion. Second, the English. Asa Briggs, in a classic essay on the British welfare state, identified three principal elements. These were a guarantee of minimum standards, including a minimum income, social protection in the event of insecurity; and the provision of services at the best level possible.8 This has become identified, in practice, with the 'institutional' model of welfare: the key elements are social protection, and the provision of welfare services on the basis of right. In practice, social welfare in the United Kingdom is very different from this ideal. Coverage is extensive, but benefits and services are delivered at a low level. The social protection provided is patchy, and services are tightly rationed. And third, the Swedish. The Swedish model can be seen as an ideal form of 'welfare state', offering institutional care in the sense that it offers universal minima to its citizens. It goes further than the British model in its commitment to social equality. Titmuss's 'institutional-redistributive' model combines the principles of comprehensive social provision with egalitarianism. This is an "ideal type", rather than a description of reality. Social protection is not necessarily associated with equality; the French and German systems offer differential protection according to one's position in the labour market. The Swedish system, looked at in greater detail, has many of the same characteristics: Ringen describes the system as "selective by occupational experience".9 However, the importance of equality - sometimes identified with 'solidarity', in the sense of organised co-operation - is considerable. The model of this is the 'solidaristic wage policy' advocated by the labour movement, which emphasised improving standards, limited differentials, and redistribution.
References.
Randall, David, “Providence”, Europe 1450 t0 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. The Gale Group Inc. 2004. Encyclopedia.com, 30 November 2009 (http://www.encyclopedia.com)
McGuigan, Brendan, ‘What is Welfare?’, Wisegeek.com, 2009 (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-welfare-.htm)
Carpenter, Mick, ‘Welfare State’, Answer.com, 2009 (http://www.answers.com/topic/welfare-state)
Brigs, A., The Welfare State in historical perspective, European Journal of Sociology, 1961, (http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/wstate.htm)
Ringen, S., The possibility of politics, Clarendon Press., 1989 (http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/wstate.htm)
http://www.answer.com (accessed on November 30, 2009)
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/639266/welfare-state (accessed on November 30, 2009)
http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/wstate.htm (accessed on November 30, 2009)
http://www.answers.com/topic/welfare-state-international (accessed on November 30, 2009)
1 David Randall, “Providence”, Europe 1450 t0 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. The Gale Group Inc. 2004. Encyclopedia.com, 30 November 2009 (http://www.encyclopedia.com)
2 http://www.answer.com
3 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/639266/welfare-state
4 Brendan McGuigan, ‘What is Welfare?’, Wisegeek.com, 2009 (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-welfare-.htm)
5 http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/wstate.htm
6 Mick Carpenter, ‘Welfare State’, Answer.com, 2009 (http://www.answers.com/topic/welfare-state)
7 http://www.answers.com/topic/welfare-state-international
8 A Briggs, The Welfare State in historical perspective, European Journal of Sociology, 1961, (http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/wstate.htm)
9 S Ringen, The possibility of politics, Clarendon Press., 1989 (http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/wstate.htm)
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