The welfare state: defense and illustration.

Summary The welfare state has never been so decried as it is today, even though it has probably never been so necessary. The criticisms it faces come from those who want to reduce its size as well as from those who find it incapable of fulfilling its main missions. The multiple social fractures that have led a part of the population to doubt the policies that are supposed to help them, and to end up voting populist, give new justification to a more efficient welfare state that is concerned with bridging the gap between a part of the population that is socially integrated and the one that is excluded. This is the perspective from which this book is written. It begins by presenting a social portrait of European countries, focusing on France. It analyzes the performance of their welfare states in the face of obstacles called "globalization" and "individualism. He then discusses the main areas where he can and should take action: health, employment, retirement and family. He concludes by proposing a number of concrete recommendations.