Social Policy and Philanthropy in Lithuania: Theoretical Interpretations and Empirical Insights

Abstract

Social policy and philanthropy are often considered as the two faces of the coin. Many of welfare and civil
society theorists view philanthropy as an expression of state welfare policy, or on the contrary, it appears when
state social policy is rather weak. It is assumed that a strong role of the state in social policy results in decline
of philanthropic initiatives. The paper discusses the issues of philanthropy situation in Lithuania, the role of the
state in social policy, and the post-communist welfare model. The study is based on the results of a quantitative
and qualitative research that offer some challenging findings. The analysis reveals the conflict among state social
policy, philanthropic actors’ attitudes and expectations of the society.