Welfare State or Participation Society: 40 Years of Monitoring the Social State of the Netherlands

Since 1973 we monitor the life situation and trends in quality of life (QoL) of citizens in the Netherlands.  Using and combining a broad set of social indicators, this gives a good overview of the trends in the social state of the country.  In this 40 years period the welfare state in the Netherlands has changed continuously and profoundly. The recent economic crisis is just one in a row of global crises in this period. It may be argued that not only financial constraints and risks caused by the crisis forced to reconsider the welfare state. Fundamental shifts in societal views on the role of the state in protecting the vulnerable and on citizens’ own responsibilities too were drivers for renovating the welfare state. In 2013 the Dutch government introduced the term ’participation society’ that should replace the welfare state. Citizens should be more active to take responsibility and to support their fellow citizens when they are in need. In this presentation we analyse major changes in social (in)equality and social policies in the Netherlands since the seventies and we discuss whether the welfare state is at danger .