The Network Society - University of Massachusetts Amherst

The values of the reform of the European model
The following list describes the values which could serve as the
basis for the continued combination of the welfare state and the information
society. They are updated versions of the values underlying the
original European welfare state and innovative entrepreneurialism. A
successful reform requires from politicians value-based management.
1. Caring
2. Confidence
3. Communality
4. Encouragement
5. Freedom
6. Creativity
7. Courage
8. Visionariness
9. Balance
10. Meaningfulness
The content of the values can be briefly described as follows:
1. Caring
Caring is the old principle of equality (egalité, in the traditions of the
Enlightenment, and justice, of the classical period). It can also be called
fairness or the inclusion of all. Caring means that we work to create
equal opportunities for all. This is the key idea of the welfare state. In
the global development, it means that we protect the equal opportunities
of all the people in the world. The word “caring” is used in this
context on purpose, to emphasise everyone’s responsibility for caring
for other people (in the Christian tradition, this value is referred to as
caritas). The idea of this value in a nutshell is as follows: “Imagine a situation
similar to ours, except that our roles are reversed.”
2. Confidence
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Confidence is partly based on caring, yet it deserves to be classified
as a value in its own right. It is also a basis of the welfare state.
Confidence gives safety and makes fruitful communality possible. The
lack of caring and confidence creates an atmosphere of fear.