在考察福利国家時,吾人不免借助於西方學界所提供的文献。這些文献内含了三種典型的思考方式-社會政策作爲福利国家、福利國家體现意識型態,以及社會中心論;使得我们在福利國家的認識上,不是陷入西方意識型態複雜之系谱葛藤中,便是化约爲技術性的思考,以至於無法更直接地掌握福利国家的根本精神。本文主张回歸「福利國家是民族国家」的基本事實,主籍由重新檢視W. Beveridge、J. M. Keynes、T.H. Marshall三者關於福利國家的想法與論述後,提出福利国家其實還具有更根本的意義:致力於一國人民之財富與力量的提升,而此一實質意涵,正是接續著以A. Smith爲首的古典政治经濟學中,所主张之經国治術的基本原则-国富民强。
Western welfare state literature usually reflects the following three perspectives: (1) social policies as welfare state, (2) ideological justifications of welfare state, and (3) the society-centered perspective. Confusion is therefore likely to be aroused as to the ideology complexities versus superficial knowledge of the welfare state with regard to whether it is a set of procedures, methods and/or programs etc. These often prevent us from appreciating the crux of the welfare state. Based on the notions that 'The welfare state is the nation state', this paper intends to firstly review W. Beveridge, J. M. Keynes, T.H. Marshall's discourses on the welfare sate, then argues that the welfare state actually is committed to enhance citizens' wealth, vitality and solidarity. This point essentially carries on the principle of the statecraft implicitly enshrined in the classical political economy, especially in A. Smith's masterwork of Wealth of Nations, which aimed at bringing about the prosperity and strength of the nation.