The recently published book Handbuch Globale Kompetenz, Grundlagen – Herausforderungen – Krisen, edited by P. Genkova, includes the chapter “Social Responsibility of the State – Global Competence of the State?“, based on EVS2017 data and written by Michael Ochsner, member of the EVS Scientific Committee and EVS national team in Switzerland.
From the perspective of political sociology, the chapter examines the question of whether the state bears a social responsibility and to what extent global competencies can be demanded from the state. Since the 16th century at the latest, the transformation of the social model from feudal rule to a bourgeois, industrialized society has led to the gradual implementation of state instruments in Western countries that protect the weaker members of society against various social risks. After the Second World War, the comprehensive expansion of these instruments led to the development of welfare states. The state now has a comprehensive, i.e. “global” competence. At the same time, as society becomes increasingly differentiated, the welfare state must also acquire “global competencies”, as it is supposed to integrate the various population groups. Finally, this time interpreting „global“ as world-wide instead of comprehensive, the question arises as to whether this social responsibility of the state is a global phenomenon. In Western countries, the welfare state enjoys a high level of acceptance and the population expects the state to provide comprehensive cover for risks. While in Western countries the protection of social risks promotes the legitimacy of the state (i.e. those Western countries that guarantee comprehensive social protection enjoy greater legitimacy than those Western countries that do not), this is not the case in non-Christian countries in particular (whether non-Christian countries offer social protection or not does not affect their legitimacy). What falls within the remit of the state and whether the state is considered, or even expected, to have global competence is therefore shaped by culture and society.
The publication is in German language.
Ochsner, M. (2024). Soziale Verantwortung in der Politik – globale Kompetenz des Staates? In P. Genkova (Ed.), Handbuch Globale Kompetenz, Grundlagen – Herausforderungen – Krisen (pp. 893–914). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-30555-0_62