State and welfare pluralism: policies and trends in the Social Agenda. Remarks from Spanish case

Abstract

Where does the Welfare State (hereinafter WS) go to nowadays? Taking in account the evolution, crisis and subsequent changes which occurred in WS have led to the current predominance of the so-called welfare mix or welfare pluralism. At this aim, after a deep review of specialized bibliography and a meaningful doctrinal debate, we are going to analyze this outcome. This phenomenon has manifested itself through the differing roles and prominences that the different public and social agents have taken on in the provision of citizens’ welfare. Defining the problems and setting the Public Agenda Stage will be the main points of this study, according to Policy Analysis, so the focus will be on the plurality of actors and the issues networks taking part in these processes.