The COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the evolution of the «Social State» in Spain

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected both social and economic life. The measures adopted to counteract those effects have required implementing procedures inherent in the concept of «Social State»: public intervention in the economy, regulation of labor and commercial relations, and an increase in social benefits. Those activities have been characterized by the prominent role of the executive branch of government and the importance of international contexts. The issue is now to determine whether these were temporary measures incident to a state of emergency, or whether they will be permanent and structural in nature.