Theoretical sources of the social state

Abstract

The growing demand of the Ukrainian society to “reboot” the state actualizes the rethinking of the sources and content of the theory of the social state for the scientific justification of the post-war recovery, transformation of the economy and the socio-humanitarian space of Ukraine. The article aims to reveal the genesis of the theoretical concept of the social state and its economic interpretation based on the assessment and generalization of the assets of socio-economic thought in this area. Chronological boundaries cover the period from the birth of the ideas of a socially oriented state (XV–XVI centuries) to forming a coherent theory in the second half of the XX century. The methods of hermeneutics, comparative analysis and structural-logical synthesis are used. The results. The idea of a socially oriented state was born in the late Middle Ages. The supreme power’s social justice and economic efficiency were determined by the ability to ensure the public good. John Locke substantiated the concept of private property as a necessary prerequisite for civil society and the contractual interpretation of the powers of the state. The idea of building a state that regulates public life was established in the 18th century. F. Prokopovich defined the principle of public good as the basis for creating a “regular state”. The ruler’s power should be limited by law and aimed at ensuring the people’s education, security and welfare. Lorenz von Stein combined legal regulation and social orientation through the term “social state”. Representatives of the social direction in economic theory specified the regulation mechanisms of social and economic relations. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries a view of the state as a corporate union was formed. In the 20th century, the theory of the minimal state gained popularity as the opposite of statism. At the same time, implementing the concepts of the social state and the social market economy based on neoliberalism became the basis of the booming post-war reconstruction of Germany, the revival of Western Europe and the development of European economic integration. Conclusions. The synthesized concept of the social state results from a long process of development of scientific thought regarding interpreting the unity of the state, law and economy. The rule of law is the institutional basis and a prerequisite for building a social state. The economic basis of the welfare state is a socially oriented market economy. This direction is attractive for Ukraine when choosing a vector and defining the main features of the future institutional model of the economy.