Welfare (disambiguation)

Welfare is defined as the general well-being of an individual or group of individuals.

Examples of usage in this sense include

• Animal welfare, the quality of life of animals, and concerns thereabout
• Economic welfare, used by economists as a substitute for utility
• Quality of life
• Welfare State

Welfare in United States English is a commonly used term meaning the same as

• Welfare program or Welfare payments, the financial safety net for the poor and needy.

Note: American terminology differs significantly from the rest of the world. In most countries the word welfare retains its original meaning from Old Norse of "doing well" or being "absent of need or want" and has generally positive connotation. In the U.S. the word has, because of its association with welfare programs and welfare payments, has come to mean these things. In the United States therefore the term "welfare" has developed negative connotation due to its association with dependency.

Welfare may also refer to

• Corporate welfare, term describing the excessive bestowal of benefits upon corporations by government
• HMS Welfare, the name of two ships of the Royal Navy, and one planned one
• Welfare (film), a film by Frederick Wiseman
• Welfare economics, the microeconomic study of allocative efficiency and associated income distribution
• In economics, the sum of producer and surplus

See also

• Tibetan Welfare Office

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