Beveridge se paró en Algeciras: estados del bienestar en un mundo carente de bienestar

The article makes a comparative analysis of the welfare states in rich and poor countries. Although the welfare state is above all a creation of developed nations, information shows that an increase in social spending can also be seen - in differing degrees depending on the specific case- in southern countries. However, the reasons for the growth in this spending vary from country to country. While in the North, the welfare state demonstrates an improvement in the nature of social and production relations under capitalism, in the countries of the South, expansion of welfare spending (education and health, basically) is fed by productive criteria. The article concludes by setting out the challenges faced by welfare states as a result of economic globalisation and particularly by migratory movements.