ABSTRACT
Contemporary uses of the term welfare are many and varied. Dictionary definitions interpret it as a state of society typically embracing a mental state (happiness), an economic state (good fortune and prosperity) and a social state (health). According to this definition, the social and economic spheres combine to shape the quality of human existence. Today, ‘welfare’ is frequently extended to include ‘not only a state of society but also policy instruments designed to alter that state’ (Smith 1975, p. 33). In recent decades, the improvement of human welfare has become an essential responsibility of national governments. In the case of the developing countries, under the influence of international aid donors, the central state plays an active role in the formulation and implementation of policies which directly or indirectly influence human welfare. These cover both the social and economic spheres.
