Paternalism Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

From pater (the “father” in Latin), paternalism refers to a state’s authoritative tutelage or guidance. In a broader sense, any welfare state might be considered paternalist, as it provides services to its citizens to meet some of their basic needs. However, the term is mostly reserved for political and socioeconomic systems in which the state not only provides minimal unemployment or social assistance and health care, but also creates the whole network of services (of whatever quality), rules, controls, and expectations. These provisions make the citizens dependent on the state, without giving them adequate rights and responsibilities.

Typically associated with states in the former communist Soviet bloc, such a dependency is often the purpose of the system in the first place. This type of tutelary—or an overprotecting state that thus limits its citizens’ life choices—contrasts with a state in which everyone takes responsibility for their own fate. Since virtually any state is paternalistic in the sense that it is interventionist and protects its citizens, a rational democratic state’s soft paternalism is widely considered as justified.

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