Abstract: As social welfare has become an important function of capitalist government,policies concerning social welfare have become an indispensable component of the political system.The development of voting system,the spread of general election,along with the rise of various practices of "direct democratic" or "indirect democratic" voting point to the fact that citizens now enjoy wider range of social rights.As a consequence,more active participation of the electors in policy-making concerning social welfare is more effectively guaranteed,which is a sure sign of social progress.The paper concludes that coexistence of social welfare and political parties can in effect ensure fairness and justice,promote economic efficiency and thus steady the social foundation of the ruling party.

Key words: social welfare, political parties, welfare state

摘要： 由于社会福利已经成为当代资本主义政府的一项主要功能,因而社会福利政策必然成为政治制度中不可缺少的一个组成部分。选举制的发展、普选制的推广以及各种“直接民主”或“间接民主”投票方式的出现意味着公民社会权利的扩大,为选民积极介入社会福利政策的制定提供了有效渠道和途径,反映了社会发展的进步趋势。在社会福利与政党政治之间,二者共生并存、互制互动,并通过交互发挥功能来既保障公平与正义,又实现经济效率,以稳定执政党的社会基础。

关键词: 社会福利, 政党政治, 福利国家