De-commodification as re-configuration: An historical and apistemic necessity for the understanding of new welfare

This chapter deals with the concept of de-commodification of welfare systems and support the thesis that this concept represents an historical and epistemic necessity for the better understanding of new welfare processes. Moving from a reflexive and critical perspective on commodification and reification as inadequate principles, the text underlines the relational distinctions and logics of re-configuration on which de-commodification is based. Thereafter, the paper points out resources and constraints which could enable or delay the process of re-configuration. In the last section, the reflexive perspective is recalled to summarize the findings of the analysis.