The Passivity of the Administration

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Abstract
The welfare state claims to provide for its inhabitants. Normally the duration of this provision is specified: from the cradle to the grave. This implies a specific role for the state, the role of distributor of public commodities and services. Among the possible ways of bringing about a distribution of commodities and services in a community, there are two extremes. The one extreme is distribution by way of the market mechanism. The other extreme is distribution by bureaucratic procedure. The development of the welfare state brought with it the transfer of the distribution of public goods from the market sector to the bureaucratic sector, as well as to various intermediate forms. There are many methods conceivable, by which the government can distribute its commodities and services. It is possible to do it by means of a lottery, as is the case with the admittance to particular university courses in Holland. Another method, based on the adage ‘the early bird catches the worm’, is frequently applied in public transport and theatre performances. One may offer the provision to anyone who is at a particular place, as with traffic lights at a busy crossing.

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