ABSTRACT
Explicitly or implicitly, most scholars have viewed redistribution and the pursuit of equality as the raison d’être of the welfare state. In the Scandinavian welfare states, however, it is debatable whether the dynamics of the welfare state are still related to the goal of equality. Personal income taxes provide a much larger share of total tax revenues in Denmark than in any other OECD-member country. In particular, old-age pensioners are unfavorable in any respect, including higher taxes and increased spending for the health system. Finally, an increasing level of education has tended to increase support for the welfare state. In particular, people with a high school education are extremely favorable. Even though the long-term legitimacy of the Scandinavian welfare states is assumed to rest upon its mutually supportive relationship with the dominant way of life, this does not, of course, explain short-term fluctuations.
