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Giving money to strangers: European welfare states and social trust

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  • Carsten Jensen
  • Gert Tinggaard Svendsen

Abstract

Jensen C, Svendsen GT. Giving money to strangers: European welfare states and social trust Int J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: 3–9 © 2009 The Author, Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. Why would you give money to strangers? That is the fundamental question posed by a new body of research into the relationship between social trust and willingness to accept high taxes and extensive welfare states. The literature argues that generalised trust causes and upholds universal welfare state institutions, an entirely plausible explanation of the Scandinavian social democratic welfare states. However, it cannot explain the presence of very large welfare states in Continental Europe, where the level of generalised trust is much lower than in Scandinavia. The article adds to the existing literature by arguing that the ‘bumblebee’ of conservative welfare states is characterised by particularistic trust and familiaristic welfare institutions, which are functional equivalents to the mechanisms found in Scandinavia. Future research into the trust–welfare state relationship should therefore focus on the trust profile of a country to understand how the welfare state provides its citizens with benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Carsten Jensen & Gert Tinggaard Svendsen, 2011. "Giving money to strangers: European welfare states and social trust," International Journal of Social Welfare, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(1), pages 3-9, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:injsow:v:20:y:2011:i:1:p:3-9
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2397.2009.00668.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Tamilina, Larysa & Tamilina, Natalya, 2018. "Four faces of marginalization: Variations in institutional frameworks of welfare state provisions and social trust in Europe," MPRA Paper 93560, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Christian Bjørnskov & Gert Svendsen, 2013. "Does social trust determine the size of the welfare state? Evidence using historical identification," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 157(1), pages 269-286, October.
    3. Andriani, Luca & Sabatini, Fabio, 2015. "Trust and prosocial behaviour in a process of state capacity building: the case of the Palestinian territories1," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(4), pages 823-846, December.
    4. Ryan H. Murphy, 2021. "The Soft Stuff of Institutional Development: Culture, Cohesion, and Economic Freedom," Journal of Private Enterprise, The Association of Private Enterprise Education, vol. 36(Summer 20), pages 37-66.
    5. Urs Steiner Brandt & Gert Tinggaard Svendsen, 2019. "How robust is the welfare state when facing open borders? An evolutionary game-theoretic model," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 178(1), pages 179-195, January.
    6. Larysa Tamilina & Natalya Tamilina, 2022. "Four Faces of Marginalisation: Variations in Institutional Frameworks of Welfare State Provisions and Social Trust in Europe," Arthaniti: Journal of Economic Theory and Practice, , vol. 21(1), pages 65-92, June.

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