75 Years After the Social Pact: A Brief History of the Socio-Technical Evolution of Social Security in Belgium

Abstract

Belgium was one of the first countries in Western Europe to celebrate at the end of 2019 the 75th anniversary of a generally compulsory social security system. But this was done with a certain reluctance as if the main actors, the administrators of the system, were alienated from the original principles. In this contribution we examine how this social security evolved by also taking socio-technical factors into account. To establish that the current system has indeed moved a long way from the basic principle of 'solidarity', and rather has the characteristics of a large technical system in which individual needs can be detected and an individual compensation system can be developed. Provided that the insured assumes responsibility and actively participates in the welfare society. This is the paradigm of the Third Way, which is complementary to the technical foundation of the current network system. The role of administrators (intermediaries as trade unions, health insurance funds, etc.) is limited in this respect, hence the lukewarm revelry in the celebration of a system in which they hardly recognize themselves.