Social policy is, among its other sources, also the expression of the moral values of solidarity and reciprocity. The meaning of these values changes along with the general process of social change. Social policy as an activity of the modern State expresses the paternalism of the absolutist monarchy of early modern times, the ideals of equality and fraternity of the democratic State of the XVIIIth and XIXth centuries, general social solidarity characteristics of the Welfare State. Institutionally, it is organized in two systems, social insurance and social welfare. Despite criticism directed at the high cost of the Welfare State, it seems that its basic institutional framework is here to stay. The future development of social policy is likely to be influenced by trends of the increasing social density, an ageing world population, increasing productivity and its ecological limits, and increasing global interdependence. Moral values, solidarity and reciprocity among them, will probably play more and more a role in the critique of existing institutions and thus in their innovation.

Socijalna politika temelji se na moralnim vrijednostima solidarnosti i uzajamnosti. Tijekom društvenog razvoja mijenja se značenje tih vrijednosti i njihovo institucionalno izražavanje, ali se njihovo djelovanje u društvu može očekivati i u budućnosti.