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Social security, sometimes also called social welfare, is a duty of the state to provide its citizens with a minimal access to basic necessities - things such as food, education and medical care.It is defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948:
- "art. 22 — Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality."
The concept, however, is much older than that. It was born in France during the Age of Enlightenment, and figures in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789:
- "Art. 2 — The goal of any political association is the conservation of the natural and imprescriptible [i.e., inviolable] rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, safety and resistance against oppression."
Social security policy is usually applied through various programs designed to provide a population with income at times when they are unable to care for themselves. The model for modern government social security programs was developed in 1883 by Otto von Bismarck under the name soziale Sicherheit.
A distinction is made between Social security and social welfare systems in many countries.
- Social security is seen as providing assistance to retired workers, often in the form of a superannuation system that provides a pension from a fund to which workers have contributed throughout their working lives. Workers may also contribute to some form of insurance scheme that provides income and assistance in the event of injury or illness for them and their families. While the scheme may be compulsory, the contributions or historic income often determine the level of support provided, once basic elegibility criteria such as age or inability to work are established. In most of the developed "first world" countries, social security also includes a system of publicly funded medicinePublicly funded medicine is a level of medical service that is paid wholly or in majority part by public funds ( taxes or quasi-taxes). Publicly funded medicine is often referred to as "socialized medicine" by its opponents, whereas supporters of this app.
- Social welfare is generally seen as financial assistance provided to those who have basic needs, such as food, clothing and housing, but are unable to afford those basic needs due to povertyPoverty describes a wide range of circumstances associated with need, hardship and lack of resources, as well as the decision by some—e. ascetics, monks, and nuns—to live simply. For some, poverty is a subjective and comparative term; for others, it is mo or lack of income because of unemployment, sickness, disability, or caring for children. While assistance is often in the form of financial payments, those eligible for social welfare can usually access health and educational services free of charge. The amount of support is enough to cover basic needs and eligibility is often subject to a comprehensive and complex assessment of an applicant's social and financial situation.
For the specific program developed in the United StatesThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in, see Social Security (United States)Social Security is a social welfare program administered by the Social Security Administration under the authority of the United States federal government. It provides benefits to the retired elderly and to the disabled, and also provides survivors' insur
The term social welfare has a different meaning in economics. See welfare economicsWelfare economics is a branch of economics that uses microeconomic techniques to simultaneously determine the allocational efficiency of a macroeconomy and the income distribution consequences associated with it. It attempts to maximize the level of socia.
