Given below are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read these statements carefully and choose the correct answer from the options (A), (B), (C) and (D) given below :
Assertion (A) : All over the world, the old `welfare state' is getting more importance.
Reason (R) : Due to globalisation, the state withdraws from many of its earlier welfare functions and the market has become the prime determinant of economic and social priorities.
Given below are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read these statements carefully and choose the correct answer from the options (A), (B), (C) and (D) given below :
Assertion (A) : All over the world, the old `welfare state' is getting more importance.
Reason (R) : Due to globalisation, the state withdraws from many of its earlier welfare functions and the market has become the prime determinant of economic and social priorities.
Options
The correct answer is (C) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
The Assertion is false: globalisation has caused the old 'welfare state' to give way to a more minimalist state, not gain more importance. The Reason is true and correctly describes why: under globalisation, states withdraw from many welfare functions as the market increasingly determines economic and social priorities.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for correctly choosing option (C).
Hint
Remember: globalisation is generally associated with a SHRINKING, not a strengthening, welfare state.
Quick Oral Answer
The old welfare state is shrinking, not strengthening, under globalisation, as the market takes over many earlier state welfare functions — so the Assertion is false while the Reason is true.
Analysis & Explanation
This assertion-reason question tests a commonly reversed fact — students often assume welfare states are strengthening globally, when NCERT states the opposite.
Why the Assertion is false
- NCERT explicitly states that globalisation has led the old welfare state to give way to a leaner, more minimalist state that performs fewer welfare and regulatory functions than before.
Why the Reason is true
- The Reason accurately explains the mechanism: as markets are opened up and deregulated under globalisation, the state cedes many of its earlier social-welfare responsibilities to market forces.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) and (B) wrongly treat the Assertion as true, contradicting the actual trend of welfare state retrenchment.
- (D) wrongly treats the Reason as false, when it is in fact an accurate description of globalisation's effect on state functions.
Common Mistakes
- 1Assuming the welfare state is strengthening worldwide and choosing (A), (B) or (D) instead of correctly identifying the Assertion as false.
- 2Failing to separately evaluate the truth of the Assertion and the Reason, and instead judging them as a single combined statement.
Interesting Facts
The term 'minimalist state' is used by scholars to describe governments that retreat from welfare, regulatory and redistributive roles under neoliberal globalisation.
Structural Adjustment Programmes imposed by the IMF and World Bank in the 1980s-90s on developing countries often required cuts to public welfare spending, illustrating this global trend.
Even as welfare functions shrink, globalisation has simultaneously expanded some state security and regulatory functions in areas like anti-terrorism and cyber-security.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'minimalist state' mean in the context of globalisation?
A minimalist state is one that performs only certain core functions (like law and order, defence) while withdrawing from extensive welfare, regulatory and redistributive roles it previously performed, as markets take over these functions.
Does globalisation weaken all functions of the state?
No — globalisation reduces welfare and some regulatory functions, but it can strengthen certain other state capacities, such as security, surveillance and the ability to attract foreign investment.