The Impact Of Globalisation On The Welfare State: Convergence, Divergence, Challenges And Policy Responses
- IJLLR Journal
- Apr 4
- 1 min read
Yashika Gupta, LLM, Amity Law School, Amity University, Punjab
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the multifaceted impact of globalisation on welfare states across the world. As economic integration, capital mobility, and technological advancement have accelerated, welfare states have faced unprecedented pressures to restructure, retrench, or adapt their social protection systems. Drawing on comparative analysis across developed and developing economies including the Nordic countries, the United States, and India, this study investigates how globalisation has reshaped social security systems, healthcare, education, and labour market policies. While globalisation has generated economic growth, technology transfer, and improved service efficiency, it has simultaneously exacerbated income inequality, job insecurity, and a competitive ‘race to the bottom’ in social protections. The paper critically evaluates the roles of international institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, and WTO. The paper concludes with policy recommendations centred on inclusive growth, universal basic income, and adaptive social policy innovation to build welfare states resilient to the challenges of the twenty-first century.
Keywords: Globalisation, Welfare State, Social Policy, Inequality, Retrenchment, Resilience, International Institutions
