Modernity as a functionally differentiated capitalist society: A general theoretical model.

A conceptualization of capitalism as a consequence of functional differentia-tion is proposed. The general theoretical model of a functionally differentiated capitalist society is outlined in four steps based on these keywords: functional differentiation; capitalist economy; capitalist society; welfare state. This model grasps the essential characteristics of the analytical prototype of a capitalist so-ciety. What are its basic components that, working together, generate this kind of society’s structural dynamics?