Towards a Human Capital Welfare State? In Search of Win-Win Solutions

This paper sets out to discuss the new organizing concept of the human capital welfare state (a special type of a social investment welfare state). It starts with the beginning of new organizing principles for the welfare state of the last one or two decades, such as the Third Way in the United Kingdom and other salient advances in this direction. Then, the paper painstakingly constructs, while building on sociological theories of particularly Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck, Niklas Luhmann, and Pierre Bourdieu, a new theoretical console for welfare state theory and policy, that is, the human capital welfare state. The new organizing concept of societal human capital/capabilities, as advanced in this paper, includes three dimensions, individual human capabilities, social capabilities, and cultural capabilities. At last six guiding principles of the human capital (capabilities) welfare state are outlined in greater detail: (a) a focus on prevention, effectiveness, and sustainability; (b) a mutual beneficial relationship between welfare state and economy; (c) the defense and development of societal human capital on individual, family, community and societal level; (d) empowerment and activation of the weak and disadvantaged; (e) social inclusion and social integration; (f) "environmental social policy."