TREND, SCALE AND LIMIT. PORTUGAL AND THE END OF THE «GOLDEN AGE» OF WELFARE STATE

Abstract

Contrary to the general trend of welfare state retrenchment that began in the 1970s, the Portuguese case presents itself as an exception, expressing the particularity of developing an welfare state during a time of crisis for welfare policies. Neoliberalism, as a significant influence on welfare state changes, did not play a role during the creation of the welfare state in Portugal. The key variables to understanding the rather particular path of Portugal were a very specific group of political contingencies, as well as a particular institutional environment framed by economic and political ideas that were antagonistic to neoliberal proposals. That path can be illustrated by the construction of the SNS(1), a body functioning in opposition to neoliberal logic. The singularity of the Portuguese case opens the door for defining new scales, limits and possibilities regarding welfare state studies.