Solidarity in Welfare States During and After the Global Pandemic: A Theoretical Investigation

ABSTRACT Welfare state policies are based on cultural ideals of solidarity; however, the extent of solidarity provided by welfare state institutions has varied substantially, both historically and across nations and policy fields. This article aims to answer the following questions: How did solidarity as an institutional norm in welfare states change during the COVID‐19 pandemic? What potential did these changes have to mitigate pandemic‐related social risks in the population? Based on a secondary analysis of theoretical and empirical research, we explore how the pandemic modified institutional solidarity norms, which parts of the population these changes addressed and what types of solidarity were introduced or strengthened. Based on our theoretical reflections and analysis of new or modified institutional solidarity norms, we discuss the likelihood of their post‐pandemic continuity. This article makes a novel and significant contribution to welfare state research by employing an ideal‐typical approach to the classification of solidarity as an institutional norm in welfare states. In addition, it provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the modification of solidarity norms during pandemics and their aftermath.