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Introduces this collection of essays on public attitudes toward the welfare state, particularly in light of recent restructurations, drawing on data from surveys conducted across the 1990s. Focus is on the traditional bastions of state welfare, the Scandinavian states, although the US, Australasia, & Eastern & Western Europe are also represented. Economic, political, social, & technological challenges to the traditional welfare state are reviewed, along with changes in the context of & pressures on government policy making & government responses. Implications for future welfare policy & the welfare state are assessed. 19 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Data from three national surveys conducted in Sweden, 1986-1996, are drawn on to explore potential class differences in attitudes toward the welfare state & whether these changed in the face of the economic crises & growing welfare state entrenchment of the 1990s. Opinions on issues of the delivery of welfare services, the financing of various welfare policies, & suspicions of welfare fraud are focal. Results indicate little support for strict class divisions in attitudes toward welfare policies; rather, there are significant differences within the middle class based on gender, occupational sector, & occupational level. Implications for future welfare policy are discussed. 5 Tables, 6 Figures, 32 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

The question of whether the Swedish welfare state experienced retrenchment during the 1990s is addressed within the context of the nation's child care system. An historical overview of the Swedish child care system's development is presented, emphasizing the expansion of public child care between the 1970s & 1990s, & the emergence of sentiment that advocated the ability to choose between public & private child care during the 1990s. Data measuring public expenditures on child care & child care enrollment are analyzed to determine whether Sweden's system is universalist. The quality of child care offered to Swedish families & the extent to which the system has been privatized are also examined. The issue concerning whether the Swedish system has succeeded in providing care to single & cohabiting mothers, working- & professional-class employees, unemployed people, & immigrants is investigated. While certain aspects of the Swedish child care system have been restructured, it is concluded that others have remained unchanged. 4 Tables, 2 Figures, 56 References. J. W. Parker

The question of whether the Swedish welfare state experienced retrenchment during the 1990s is addressed within the context of the nation's child care system. An historical overview of the Swedish child care system's development is presented, emphasizing the expansion of public child care between the 1970s & 1990s, & the emergence of sentiment that advocated the ability to choose between public & private child care during the 1990s. Data measuring public expenditures on child care & child care enrollment are analyzed to determine whether Sweden's system is universalist. The quality of child care offered to Swedish families & the extent to which the system has been privatized are also examined. The issue concerning whether the Swedish system has succeeded in providing care to single & cohabiting mothers, working- & professional-class employees, unemployed people, & immigrants is investigated. While certain aspects of the Swedish child care system have been restructured, it is concluded that others have remained unchanged. 4 Tables, 2 Figures, 56 References. J. W. Parker

Draws on T. H. Marshall's (1963) model of the emergence of social rights in France to evaluate the recent tendency to individualize social problems & its impact on poverty policies. Social citizenship emerged as a response to poverty, & social rights grew out of a governance strategy that considered poverty a social, not an individual, problem. The consequences of the socialization of poverty are explored in light of the increasing inability of states to underwrite social rights. The French case illuminates the differences between social policies based on social rights & those rooted in a view of poverty as an individual problem, contending that the new individualized social policies have undermined participatory political citizenship, & failed to provide an effective way to deal with poverty. The evolution of the view of poverty as social is traced to illustrate the lengthy process that culminated in a strategy to govern social risks in a socialized manner. The recent revival of individualist approaches to welfare is seen as a backward step that will isolate the poor & diminish citizenship. 57 References. J. Lindroth

The effects of public opinion polls upon political decision-making are studied. Rather than perpetuate the conventional understanding of public opinion polls, approaches that view these devices as forms of symbolic politics, discursive social interaction, or ideology that promotes particular dominant beliefs are presented. A corpus of poll questions (N = 244) concerning the status of welfare in the US circa 1994 that were collected in the Roper POLL archives is analyzed, demonstrating that a slight majority of these questions delineated welfare as a problem. In addition, the data analysis revealed that poll questions contained stereotypical delineations of welfare recipients, solicited respondents' experiences in receiving welfare services, & measured political parties' commitment to welfare reform. It is concluded that political polling is not necessarily an unbiased strategy for gauging public opinion; several suggestions for future research are offered, eg, determining the extent to which news media professionals associate poll questions with news stories. J. W. Parker

The development, achievements, & current crises of the Scandinavian welfare states (SWS) are discussed, with a particular focus on Sweden. SWS have traditionally combined generous welfare state entitlements with rapid economic growth, low unemployment, & high levels of labor force participation, especially among women. However, recent economic troubles have challenged the viability of the SWS & economic development models, & historical supporters of the welfare state, such as trade unions & social democrats, have encouraged welfare cutbacks. Despite these trends, it is argued that welfare state entitlements are not responsible for the current economic difficulties in SWS. Welfare provisions may actually increase international economic competitiveness, & welfare states still enjoy strong political & public opinion support. Therefore, SWS are evolving rather than eroding, & although significant cutbacks have occurred in particular areas, overall benefits still exceed the levels of previous decades. The future of SWS is briefly discussed. 1 Table, 72 References. T. Sevier

The origins of the notion of social citizenship in the post-WWII era are traced, & the possibility for the realization of its ideals in the world of the 21st century is explored. Factors that distinguish contemporary welfare states from their liberal roots are identified, & ideological attacks on social citizenship are reviewed, highlighting the neoconservative positions of US President Ronald Reagan & GB Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during the 1980s. It is concluded that there can be no return to the social sense of citizenship that came about in the 4 decades following WWII; nonetheless, there are ways to reverse the consequences of neoconservatism. Six key steps are outlined (1) politicians must provide ideological leadership, (2) citizens' rights must be related to responsibilities, (3) the increasing inequality in tax burdens must be reversed, (4) all citizens must continue to pay "high taxes" to ensure social rights & social peace, (5) more informed public debate is needed on the economic costs & benefits of the welfare state, & (6) the negative effects of globalization on citizenship must be addressed. K. Hyatt Stewart

Looking to situate social capital more solidly within public institutions, an institutional theory of generalized trust linking the macro- & individual levels is presented & tested. Contending that contemporary political institutions are key determinants of social capital, causal mechanisms underpinning the link between government institutions & social capital are specified. Distinctions are drawn between trust in institutions on the representational side of the system & in those on the implementation side, asserting that the impartiality & fairness of political institutions that implement public policy are important components of institutional trust & confidence that can be separated from conventional political trust in politicians & the government. Further, these aspects of institutional trust foster generalized trust. This is exemplified in the case of the welfare system. The relationship between system impartiality & generalized trust is then elaborated in terms of cognitive inferences, people's observations of others, & the impact of people's welfare or legal experiences. These causal mechanisms are tested using empirical evidence at the microlevel, using the Swedish welfare system & various data sources to see if a lack of impartiality disturbs trust development. Analysis indicates that people do make strong connections between the institutional impartiality & generalized trust at the micro- & macrolevels, they develop different levels of trust dependent on their observations of other citizens, & those who have faced discrimination in the system are less trusting. Further research directions are offered. 3 Tables, 1 Figure, 28 References. J. Zendejas

After presenting official statistical data on employment patterns & wage inequalities in Denmark, attitudes toward the welfare state held by three groups -- state nondependents (private-sector employees, the self-employed, & housewives), public employees, & welfare recipients -- are examined, drawing on 1969-1994 election survey data. Factor analysis distinguishes attitudes in terms of (1) basic values or preferences, (2) practical attitudes toward welfare policy implementation, & (3) attitudes toward specific expenditures or issues. Trends in attitudes toward welfare legitimacy are analyzed by political affiliation & labor market position among adults ages 18-59, testing the hypotheses that this legitimacy is challenged by (A) labor market marginalization, which creates a decline in solidarity among the working class, & (B) perceptions of economic feasibility in light of the growing burden of supporting those outside the labor market. It is concluded that the economic problems of the welfare state & their political articulation are more important than divisions between the employed & unemployed. 11 Tables, 1 Figure, 33 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Following a review of previous research on the relationship between public opinion & public policy & issues regarding the measurement of & influences on public opinion, results of a 1994/95 survey of 1,737 Finnish residents, ages 18-70, regarding the welfare state are compared with those of 529 candidates for the 1995 parliamentary elections & various elites (N = 110 members of parliament [MPs], 70 civil servants, 53 researchers, 107 directors of large companies, & 48 mass media representatives). Multivariate analysis reveals highly significant differences in opinion between citizens & members of the elite, & lesser (though also significant) differences between citizens & political candidates; these differences cannot be attributed to sociodemographic/-economic background factors. Specific attitudes toward entitlement rules regarding pensions & their administration are highlighted. 4 Tables, 2 Appendixes, 54 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Contends that welfare reform has undermined democracy, as the notion of citizenship is now based on the market rather than on political participation. This mode of conditionality is a rebuke to the ostensible rights of democratic citizens. Of particular concern is the matter of social reproduction, which has been eroded by the thrust of public policy in the last quarter-century. An alternative policy is proposed, & a number of arguments about workfare, "getting a free ride," & reciprocity are questioned. To redress the issue of social reproduction & the welfare of citizens we must return to the universalism of democracy, for which an unconditional basic income for every citizen is one necessary prerequisite. References. K. Coddon

Contends that welfare reform has undermined democracy, as the notion of citizenship is now based on the market rather than on political participation. This mode of conditionality is a rebuke to the ostensible rights of democratic citizens. Of particular concern is the matter of social reproduction, which has been eroded by the thrust of public policy in the last quarter-century. An alternative policy is proposed, & a number of arguments about workfare, "getting a free ride," & reciprocity are questioned. To redress the issue of social reproduction & the welfare of citizens we must return to the universalism of democracy, for which an unconditional basic income for every citizen is one necessary prerequisite. References. K. Coddon