The idea of the welfare state is commonly grounded in the principles o
f social rights, universality and solidarity, Over the past twenty yea
rs, welfare reforms have challenged the salience of this conceptualisa
tion. This article argues that changes such as austerity measures, pen
sion reform, administrative decentralisation and efforts to revive the
obligation of citizenship have fostered a more discursive conception
of social rights, When rights are discursive, the relative power of va
rious clientele interests plays a greater role in the distribution of
benefits than objective conditions of need. Also, such notions as univ
ersality and solidarity are giving way to selectivity and individual r
esponsibility as the paramount principles of the welfare state.