Social Security from the Perspective of Fiscal Policy
PIONEER AND INNOVATIVE STUDIES IN SOCIAL, HUMAN AND ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES, Prof. Dr. Osman YILMAZ, Editör, All Sciences Academy, Ankara, ss.373-386, 2024
- Yayın Türü: Kitapta Bölüm / Diğer
- Basım Tarihi: 2024
- Yayınevi: All Sciences Academy
- Basıldığı Şehir: Ankara
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.373-386
- Editörler: Prof. Dr. Osman YILMAZ, Editör
- Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Behind the advanced and complex nature of the social security system
today lies the desire to combat the risks humanity faces, and beyond that, the
necessity to combat these risks. As long as there is injustice in the
distribution of risks and the elimination of their effects, regardless of the
nature of social structure and production relations, the need for structures
like the social security system will continue to exist. The large labor masses
created by industrial society, deprived of the ownership of production tools
and unable to conduct a struggle for rights due to their low level of
organization, have become a community more exposed to risks and much
more open to the adverse outcomes that arise. With their long-lasting
struggles and the understanding that labor is not an unlimited resource,
initially very narrow social security mechanisms aimed only at employees
were established. In subsequent years, with the emergence of various
problems, the meaning attributed to social security expanded. Particularly in
the post-World War II period, social security was used to ensure social peace
and create effective demand in the Keynesian sense. However, this period
did not last long, and the acceleration demonstrated by the global spread of
the world economy and major economic crises (such as the oil shocks)
374necessitated the reform of social security. Undoubtedly, the sole reason for
these reforms is not the burden of social security on the state budget.
However, when the reasons are listed, it can still be said that the heavy costs
imposed on society, especially on producers, by the measures taken to
finance government expenditures are at the top of the list.
As social security transitioned from being merely a risk-preventive
mechanism for employees, the role assumed by the state also became
complicated. The more governments took on roles in the financing of social
security and the distribution of social security resources, the more the
relationship between social security and public finance became highly
debated. In these debates, the negative effects of social security financing on
the budget, the labor loss caused by such expenditures, and "fake
unemployment" began to be frequently mentioned. Regardless of whether
the government's activities within the social security system are deemed
justified or not, the unchanging truth is that these activities have a financial
dimension. At this point, healthy analyses on whether countries can have a
sustainable social security system will be the best response to the rhetoric on
the elimination of social security. In this context, the position of social
security as a necessity and its place within public finance will be examined
below. Then, the significance of social security as a fiscal policy argument
will be discussed. Following this, an evaluation will be made on how the
social security system can be made more sustainable in terms of public
finance, using the example of our country. 1