Risks of the welfare state dynamics in modern society

The study looks at the evolution problems of the institution of the welfare state in the modern world. The reasons for the emergence of a welfare state, its historical evolution and national models are examined. The paper analyzes the causes of the crisis of this institution associated with the establishment of a new technological paradigm and, as a consequence, the changing characteristics of the social environment where there is a welfare state. The authors argue that the crisis of the welfare state in the modern world is a result of an increasingly complex society: when different risks are combined, it leads to their mutual mitigation, on the one hand, and their mutual intensification, on the other. There is no opportunity to predict the risks and develop the control strategy in this context. The complication of the social system results in the creation of the new risk’s zones that are free of government control. This problem can be solved by a shift from a hierarchical model of social policy to a network strategy; however, it can generate new unknown risks and problems.