​This study explores the relationship between transformations of the welfare state in Algeria and social constraints in the context of economic crisis. It investigates the historical and ideological contexts that led to the emergence of the welfare state and state capitalism as well as shifts in social policy in light of economic crises and the floundering of the development project. It also seeks to understand the nascent relationship between state and society and the concept of rents as the fundamental guiding factor in this relationship. This reading, supported by comparative data and statistics, will allow a better understanding of the current status of the welfare state and its implications in a context of widespread protest, driven by social resentments that have festered in recent years, largely due to state privatization and the excesses of the financial oligarchy.