The Role Of The Welfare State In The Post War Regime Of Accumulation
...be restated; what effect did the welfare state have on the post war regime of accumulation? I plan to argue that the welfare state played a hugely significant role in the post war regime of accumulation because it was actually its context. The ending of the Second World War marked a puncture in capitalism in that it ushered in both a new form of state and a new regime of accumulation which formed and developed within the welfare state countries, thus the role of the welfare state was to mediate, or shape the post war regime of accumulation. I plan to show this by briefly mentioning the pre-war equivalent, and by discussing the major elements of the post war welfare state and its impact upon the regime of accumulation.
Some definition of terms and setting of context is of value. Broadly speaking, the term welfare state' describes a nation state in which the central authority assumes responsibility for the wellbeing of its population through outlining a minimum standard of living which is the right of its citizens and attempting to ensure its citizens do not fall bellow this minimum through such policies as the payment of benefits to the needy, a commitment to high employment and the maintenance of social services. Secondly, a regime of accumulation' can be defined as a form in which capital is organized or expanded for a period of time with some stability within the context of modes of regulation' which are constructs of law, forms of state, policies etc. Hence, building on my argument, the post war modes of regulation can be grouped together under the banner; the welfare state'.
It is of importance to approach this essay from an international viewpoint, since the regime of accumulation was itself an international one even if not to the extent of the world today, welfare state ideology, and Fordism, (discussed later) were international phenomenon....
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