Ageing, families and welfare systems: comparative perspectives

Area of Science:

• Social Policy
• Welfare State Analysis
• Comparative Sociology

Background:

• Nations exhibit varying welfare spending patterns, with some converging in total expenditure but diverging in service and transfer priorities.
• Welfare states differ significantly in their allocation between cash transfers and social services, and within services, between institutional and community-based care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the relationship between family cultures and welfare system structures.
• To investigate how welfare systems influence family structures and care priorities.
• To assess the sustainability of different welfare models amidst social and demographic changes.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of national welfare spending data.
• Examination of the interplay between familistic and individualistic policy approaches.
• Qualitative assessment of care service priorities (institutional vs. community-based).

Main Results:

• While total welfare spending shows some convergence, the composition of spending (transfers vs. services) remains diverse.
• Countries with familistic policies tend to de-prioritize home care services.
• Countries with individualistic social policies tend to prioritize home care services.

Conclusions:

• Welfare system structures reflect and reinforce distinct family cultures.
• The prioritization of home care is strongly linked to the individualistic or familistic orientation of social policies.
• Future sustainability of welfare models depends on adapting to demographic shifts and evolving care needs.