The ailing welfare state

In the wake of the financial crisis, citizens are demanding more andbetter benefits, more effective management, and greater participation. In order to reform our welfare state with the necessary guarantees,we must ask two questions. First, how have austerity policies affected our lifestyle and our social protection system? And, second, howshould we redefine our welfare system in the coming years? Can wereturn to the benefits and services model prior to the crisis? Shouldwe redefine it?The answer to both questions is obvious: we need to redefine ourwelfare model. To do so in a setting where resources are alwaysscarce, we need to include groups that until now have been invisibleand not received support, and we need to rethink our benefits andservices. It is not enough simply to return to things as they werebefore, with its winners and losers, nor should we continue with thecurrent dynamics, which also has its winners and losers. Throughout this process, the middle classes play a key role as abenchmark (in an aspirational society the expectation of upward social mobility bonds individuals to their environment), resource providers(through taxes), and claimants seeking benefits and services. Thefactors influencing processes of downward social mobility must beexamined in order to design public policies that take into account the specific problems affecting the middle classesThe best contribution we can make to our future is to analyze withrigor the challenges we face. Greater social cohesion and a higherlevel of welfare can only be achieved by enhancing participation,assessing the results of our social policies more thoroughly, and more democracy. The various chapters provide insight into the issues faced by the middle classes, and propose alternatives for the future.