Since the ideologically coloured meaning of the 'welfare state', implying a massive level of redistribution and high government spending in the field of social policy, does not match the reality of a number of today's welfare state systems, especially outside Europe, this article examines the existence of at least eight different forms of welfare capitalism, i.e. welfare state systems, all represented by model countries. There are very distinct approaches to ensure high levels of social security, either by governmental welfare provision or welfare regulation, with or without redistribution of personal income.