Societies in which some groups have systemically inferior access to the reciprocal benefits of market participation are faced with the problem of reconciling democracy with a distribution of social surplus that is unequal and may be inequitable. The welfare state is a constituent part of the liberal settlement between political democracy and the capitalist economy (see capitalism). While most state action will have welfare effects, many of them intended, welfare policy more narrowly conceived is directly concerned with the well-being of citizens. ...