Abstract: Social assistance system is related to the redistribution of social wealth,and therefore it is related to state responsibility inevitably.State responsibility for social assistance system is a complicated modern political ethics problem.The responsibility subject of social assistance system has experienced three basic stages as a whole,namely stage of personal liability,transitory stage and stage of state responsibility.The legitimacy of state responsibility for social assistance system is firstly derived from the public nature of state,and secondly from the value appeal of distributive justice.The limitation of state responsibility for social assistance system is probably decided by ethical tension of civil society and the state,the plurality of responsibility subject of social assistance system and moral hazard of social assistance system.

Key words: social assistance system, state responsibility, personal liability, legitimacy, limitation