Abstract

The essay examines the essential aspects of the social services system in Catalonia, looking in particular at the relation between public and private, for the purpose of defining the elements which characterise that model. The choice is justified by a two-fold order of considerations. One is the fact that the distribution of competencies in the matter of social services allows the formulation of autonomist policies. The second is that the way the social fabric is structured in Catalonia - family, associations, foundations, professional organisations, work relations - is more complex than in other autonomous communities. The essay is wide-ranging, transcending the purely local dimension: the author describes the creation of the Welfare State in Spain, along with the administrative theory that accompanied it, with special regard for the emergence, development and success of the notion of public service in all its centrality. After giving an account of the most recent trends in the direction of reform, the author proposes a rethinking of the matter, formulated among other things in view of the norms in effect in Catalonia, and of the notions of "sevicios publicos", "servicios de responsabilidad publicas" and "servicios de interés general". The essay concludes with a reflection on the functions of the Welfare State and of the individual social services.