Proposals for sustainable welfare policies

Sustainable welfare can be defined as welfare or social policy systems that support the satisfaction of human needs within planetary boundaries and in a post-growth context.

Following a brief introduction to the concept of sustainable welfare and thinking around the mutual dependency between welfare states and economic growth, this chapter discusses policy proposals for sustainable welfare that have been presented in the literature so far. Key policy proposals covered in this chapter include: a prioritisation of ecological and social objectives in policy making and at the organisational level; greater redistribution; decoupling of work and welfare through Universal Basic Services and Universal Basic Income or Income Guarantees; and working time reduction.

The discussion section briefly reviews work on the political feasibility of these policy proposals.