ABSTRACT
What role should the state and market play in the provision of welfare services? Should the state provide most welfare services, as today in universal or Social Democratic welfare states in Scandinavia, or should services be privatized and provided by the market, as proposed by neoliberals? This is a hotly debated issue in all European countries and one of the main, if not the main question posed to the voters in all European elections in the last 20-25 years. As hotly debated as it is, it fails to consider the potential role of civil society, or the third sector and citizens. What role should the third sector play in providing welfare services, and what role should citizens have in producing such services? Answers to the latter question reflect different perspectives on citizens and different views of citizenship. Are citizens merely passive consumers of welfare services that are provided either by the state or market, or can they play an active role in producing some kinds of welfare services? Is citizenship restricted to voting in general elections, consuming goods and services, paying taxes and abiding by the laws of the land, or does it imply both rights and responsibilities that go beyond this limited view of citizenship?
