ABSTRACT
At the end of the millenium the conditions and the future of the welfare state – or, more correctly, of the various types of welfare states existing in various parts of the developed world – have become one among the key issues of social research and discussion. Some have seen the welfare state as modernity’s last project, its last Great Narrative, which is inevitably proceeding towards its demise, while others tend instead to speak of changing conceptions of welfare in late modern societies. Be that as it may, there seems to be rather broad recognition of the fact that profound, even paradigmatic changes with respect to the production and distribution of welfare are taking place in our societies.
