Abstract:

Welfare state which historically corresponds to an original structure belonging to the period after the Second World War has been in transition in developing countries and in “Mediterranean welfare regime” countries. In this study, it is claimed that social policy has two functions, when the welfare state approach developed during Keynesian consensus is considered. First of these functions is the economical function related to the “fictitious commodities” approach of Polanyi, second one on the other hand is the social function which is defined by considering the citizenship definition of Marshall and the fact that welfare state is a nation building project belonging to post-war period. The final period in world economic order symbolized by “Davos dilemma” has left the assumptions of the post-war welfare state – especially patriarchal family – invalid, economically constraining welfare states, and creating a pressure towards a new definition of social solidarity. In the mentioned countries, family policy is accepted as a “familialism” concept like in corporatist welfare states and a “quasi policy” is formed which is defined through indefinite values. This approach is in contradiction with economical requirements of the Davos period and it is also in contradiction with its own aims creating a dichotomy of “decline of family values” and “expansion of individual rights” in favor of the second. The reason behind the fact that not even a life style based on forming a nuclear family with two parents is demanded by young people is explained with “over-commoditized daily life” and “operation of market in favor of single consumer.” It is also declared that a “moral regulation” aiming to regulate individual family lives instead of the welfare regime is bound to fail.

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