Många tycks utgå från att välfärdsstaten tar från rika och ger till fattiga. Så är dock inte fallet.
Så här skrev jag i The Independent Review 2004:
Simply put, in the political debate concerning the welfare state, the right dislikes the welfare state because it redistributes from rich to poor, and the left likes it for the same reason. Both sides are largely wrong. In a welfare state such as Sweden, traditional redistribution from rich to poor is a relatively small part of the welfare state’s activities.
Tror man inte på mig, kanske det här citatet av mister välfärdsstat själv, Gøsta Esping-Andersen, kan vara intressant:

Because it taxes and spends, the welfare state is by definition redistributive, but this does not automatically entail that it creates more equality. A quick historical glance at social reform will dispel of any notion that the welfare state was pursued for egalitarian reasons. Its foundations were typically laid by conservative reformers who, like Bismarck, sought primarily to reproduce, rather than to alter, prevailing social hierarchies.

(Ur inledningen till The Welfare State and Redistribution av Esping-Andersen och John Myles). Läs hela pappret här.