Revisioning comparative welfare state studies: an ‘indigenous dimension’

Although welfare states have been categorised according to a wide but never conclusive range of dimensions, little attention has been paid to the specific forms of recognitive justice that influence the development of the welfare state, particularly in countries where internally colonised indigenous peoples not only constitute a disproportionate number of welfare recipients, but also hold additional rights to those associated with citizenship. Socio-economic disparities between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples are considerable in ‘liberal’ welfare states where significant recognition of indigenous rights has been made and where indigenous peoples now play a significant role in delivering social provision. Such disparities are narrower in the ‘social democratic’ welfare states, such as Norway, Sweden and Finland (where Sami people live), which have focused largely on the application of more universalistic social rights but have provided little space for indigenous-focused social provision. Uncertainty thus remains about the best mix of recognition and redistribution needed to produce good outcomes for indigenous peoples in terms of both welfare and greater indigenous autonomy and control. Drawing on the cases of New Zealand and Australia, this article proposes a framework for examining different welfare states that aims to shed some light on this critical issue.