In my opinion, the priority and precedence placed on economic growth and policy over social policy is the key characteristic of the “productivist” welfare regime which translates into the low level of public expenditure on social welfare. Although there are some levels of spending in basic education and health, these are social investments in human capital in anticipation that these investments will make citizens productive, who will then contribute to the economic growth. This highlights the larger role for families and households in providing welfare as the states are focused more on regulation, nation building and legitimizing the regime than actual provision of welfare itself.
Institutional arrangements where there is deep reliance on the community and family relationships to meet people’s security and welfare needs is the key characteristic of informal welfare regime. This reliance on relationship is hierarchical and unbalanced and reinforces patron – client relationships. The power imbalance in the relationship makes the people vulnerable and also breeds inequality in the society. The people are forced into situations of long term dependency for short term welfare and benefit because of which it becomes difficult for other actors like the civil society to step in and pressure for social policy reforms.
Insecurity welfare regime is characterized by high level of instability, conflict and weak state structures and institutional arrangements which impede various forms of stable or informal security mechanisms from emerging. Thus people have no access to formal or informal welfare structures. This characteristic leads to poor welfare outcomes and high levels of insecurity among the people. The people are forced to rely on themselves and their household for support and also forced to negotiate the short term welfare solutions in the absence of any welfare solution that is long term. There is a struggle for state legitimacy and small group of elites and international actors dominate the political system.