ABSTRACT
A wide range of conflicts can arise from imbalances in the national budget and from instability of political institutions, both as a cause and a consequence. Distributive conflicts are in the forefront. It may conceive of the welfare state as the attempt to influence such conflicts, either directly or indirectly. The welfare state, on the other hand, may itself become the cause of new conflicts of distribution. The modern welfare state had its beginnings in Europe about a century ago, and it has since been a central element in the profound changes which European societies have undergone – and have to master in future. As the work of many, the welfare state represents a relatively broadly based common denominator and is thus an important element of political consensus. Yet for the same reason it lacks clear contours, and this is detrimental to a more emphatically ideological political integration.
