Udo Strassburg

LOOKING TOWARD THE THOUGHT OF GUNNAR MYRDAL AND AMARTYA SEN ON THE WELFARE STATE

This paper aimed to look forward the thought of Myrdal and Sen on the conceptual aspects related to the Welfare State in the context of social and economic development. Theoretical framework on the approaches of the capabilities of Sen and the Theory of Causation Circular of Myrdal were used. Therefore, the exploratory methodology was used by way of literature. The main findings suggest that the Welfare State is a form of economic and political organization, in which the State is the main regulatory agency of the social, political, and economic aspects of a nation. For Myrdal, the economic development of a nation depends on the state intervention through social actions and public policies. Amartya Sen gives importance to the freedoms that people enjoy, stating that a developed country is one in which the people have freedom guaranteed by the market and the State.