"The problem of how we finance the welfare state should not obscure a separate issue: if each person thinks he has an inalienable right to welfare, no matter what happens to the world, that's not equity, it's just creating a society where you can't ask anything of people"

Jacques Delors draws attention to a distinction sometimes blurred in modern debates about social support systems: the mechanics of financing welfare are different from the philosophical foundations of the welfare state. He suggests that if society comes to accept that every individual has an absolute, unconditional right to welfare, regardless of context or circumstance, it may erode any expectation that individuals contribute in return. The belief in an inalienable right to welfare can inadvertently undermine the principle of equity, which is rooted in fairness and mutual responsibility.

Equity implies that people both give and receive according to their ability and need. Welfare, in this understanding, is not a unilateral entitlement but a social arrangement where the community supports its members while also encouraging everyone to participate and contribute as much as they are able. Delors implies that when welfare is seen simply as a guaranteed right, it removes the societal expectation that all should participate or contribute, undermining a sense of collective responsibility.

When society is structured so that nothing can be asked of its members, that is, participation, work, or civic engagement are no longer seen as social expectations, the delicate social contract is disrupted. Welfare risks being reduced to a transaction, rather than a shared project. Such a situation can breed resentment or disengagement among contributors, and reduce incentives for agency among beneficiaries. The sense of solidarity that underpins well-functioning welfare states could then be weakened because the cooperative spirit, where people contribute because they recognize both obligation and benefit, is replaced with an assumption of perpetual entitlement.

Delors is highlighting that sustaining a welfare state demands more than just funding; it requires ongoing negotiation about rights and responsibilities. The risk is not just technical insolvency but the erosion of the social ethos that allows collective systems to flourish. Maintaining equity calls for balancing unconditional support in times of need with the recognition that a healthy society depends on mutual commitment and expectation.