Welfare states are defined by sufficiency across multiple services, not one necessity.

Evidence

The concept of a welfare state illustrates this approach. There is no one service that a state must (necessarily) provide to be a welfare state, but if the state produces “enough” of these services we classify it in the welfare state category. Operationally, Hicks (1999) defines a welfare state circa 1930 as one that provides at least 3 of the 4 following services: (1) unemployment compensation, (2) old age pensions, (3) health insurance, or (4) workman’s compensation. — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts and Measurement, 997

Categorization

• SHARE: The concrete 3-of-4 1930 benchmark is the kind of specific operationalization only a methods-minded reader would relish.