DO DEVELOPED COUNTRIES TEND TO THRIVE MORE THROUGH AN EMPHASIS ON MARKET-ORIENTED POLICYMAKING OR A STATE-ORIENTED WELFARE SYSTEM?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20618168Keywords:
Market-oriented policymaking, state-oriented welfare system, economic policy, welfare state, developed nations, government intervention, social market economy.Abstract
This article examines two different policymaking strategies in developed countries, market-oriented policymaking and state-oriented welfare systems. It defines the key principles of both models and investigates the advantages and disadvantages of each of them in solving the issue of economic performance and social welfare. The article discusses the central question of whether developed countries tend to thrive more through an emphasis on market-oriented policymaking or a state-oriented welfare system, with case examples. The essay argues that both of the approaches are ineffective in their own way; the most appropriate strategy is the balanced combination of market mechanisms and welfare policies.
References
1.Ansari, S. (2023). Disadvantages of Market Economy. [online] Economics Online. Available at: https://www.economicsonline.co.uk/definitions/disadvantages-of-market-economy.html/.
2.Bentley Brinkerhoff Gilbert and Michael Charles Prestwich (2019). United Kingdom - Sports and recreation. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Kingdom/Sports-and-recreation.
3.deutschland.de. (2018). 70 years of social market economy. [online] Available at: https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/business/social-market-economy-in-germany-growth-and-prosperity.
4.Economics.Town. (2025). The Role of State in a Market Economy: Regulation and Intervention • Economics.Town. [online] Available at: https://economics.town/social-sector-and-environment/role-state-market-economy-regulation/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2025].
5.Focus, E. (2023). Understanding Sweden’s Social Welfare System. [online] Expat Focus. Available at: https://www.expatfocus.com/sweden/articles/understanding-swedens-social-welfare-system.
6.Green, L. (2023). Advantages of a Market Economy. [online] Investopedia. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/033015/what-are-some-advantages-market-economy-over-other-types-economies.asp.
7.Inequality.org (2019). Income Inequality. [online] Inequality.org. Available at: https://inequality.org/facts/income-inequality/.
8.Kenton, W. (2022). What is a Welfare State? [online] Investopedia. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/welfare-state.asp.
9.Majaski, C. (2024). What Is the Invisible Hand in Economics? [online] Investopedia. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/invisiblehand.asp.
10.More, A.H. (2025). Welfare State: Principles, Objectives, Advantages, and Criticism. [online] The Legal Quotient. Available at: https://thelegalquotient.com/administrative-law/welfare-state-principles-objectives-advantages-and-criticism/7230/.
11.Thompson, L.H. (1995). The advantages and disadvantages of different social welfare strategies. International Social Security Review, [online] 48(3-4), pp.59–73. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-246x.1995.tb00446.x.
12.United States - Strengths and weaknesses | Britannica. (2020). In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States/Strengths-and-weaknesses.
13.World Bank (2025). GDP (current US$). [online] The World Bank. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain the copyright of their manuscripts, and all Open Access articles are disseminated under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC-BY), which licenses unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is appropriately cited. The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations.

