Public Welfare Provision, Scandinavia, and the Sheer Futility of the Sociological Approach to Politics

1979 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis G. Castles ◽  
R. D. McKinlay
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Public Welfare ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Demographic Structure ◽  
Welfare Provision ◽  
Sociological Approach ◽  
Central Tenet ◽  
Level Of Economic Development ◽  
Sociological View

In the last two decades, the prevailing orthodoxy in comparative studies has been the sociological view that public policy outcomes are primarily a reflection of what can loosely be described as ‘environmental’ factors: the demographic structure of the population, the incremental logic of policy programmes, and, most important of all, the level of economic development. This paper has two main objectives: first, to demonstrate that the sociological orthodoxy is methodologically and empirically unsound in its central tenet that politics does not matter, and, second, to provide a more detailed, and political, explanation of the particularly high levels of public welfare provision that characterize the Scandinavian countries.

Providing Rational and Normative Policy Evaluation with Hedonic Estimation in Developing and Emerging Market Economies

2014 ◽  
pp. 53-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney Erakovich ◽  
Gerald Poppe ◽  
John F. Shampton ◽  
Kalpana Pai
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Policy Evaluation ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Market Value ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Market Mechanisms ◽  
Societal Needs ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Normative Considerations

Market economy and democratic evolution in public policy requires a shift from a comprehensive rational and positivism approach to including normative considerations through a social participatory thesis. The key question of this chapter’s examination is: Do the fundamental ideas of econometric evaluation of land value as a basis for public policy contribute worth for the society as a whole? Policy that exploits market mechanisms cannot be developed in isolation of the larger societal needs that are required to enrich democracy. To do this, the authors provide an econometric model of valuation of land to test and predict policy outcomes to enhance democratic transition. Establishing market value is a tool that supports policy economic development goals and normative outcomes desired through political transparency in the emergence to democratic processes. The authors conclude with recommendations for implementation to support stakeholders in the policymaking process.

Providing Rational and Normative Policy Evaluation with Hedonic Estimation in Developing and Emerging Market Economies

2015 ◽  
pp. 367-385
Author(s):  
Rodney Erakovich ◽  
Gerald Poppe ◽  
John F. Shampton ◽  
Kalpana Pai
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Policy Evaluation ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Market Value ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Market Mechanisms ◽  
Societal Needs ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Normative Considerations

Market economy and democratic evolution in public policy requires a shift from a comprehensive rational and positivism approach to including normative considerations through a social participatory thesis. The key question of this chapter's examination is: Do the fundamental ideas of econometric evaluation of land value as a basis for public policy contribute worth for the society as a whole? Policy that exploits market mechanisms cannot be developed in isolation of the larger societal needs that are required to enrich democracy. To do this, the authors provide an econometric model of valuation of land to test and predict policy outcomes to enhance democratic transition. Establishing market value is a tool that supports policy economic development goals and normative outcomes desired through political transparency in the emergence to democratic processes. The authors conclude with recommendations for implementation to support stakeholders in the policymaking process.

The Growth of Public Welfare Provision: Does Politics Matter?

1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Roweth ◽  
Frank Gould ◽  
Desmond S. King
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Social Democracy ◽  
Public Welfare ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Welfare Provision ◽  
Sociological Approach ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
High Level

In their article – ‘Public Welfare Provision, Scandinavia, and the Sheer Futility of the Sociological Approach to Polities’ – Castles and McKinlay claim to have demonstrated thattwo factors contribute to and explain the particularly high levels of public welfare provision in Scandinavian countries [compared to other advanced, industrial democratic states]. The absence of a large right-wing party establishes the initial necessary condition that removes the primary barrier to the development of welfare provision. The historic strength and unity of the working-class movement, reflected in the dominance of social democracy, is the factor which is then responsible for the development of public welfare to its current high level.

Thomas R. Dye,

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Goldsmith
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Tax Revenue ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
The Public ◽  
American States ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Political Variables

This chapter examinesPolitics, Economics and the Public: Policy Outcomes in the American States, a book by Thomas Dye that highlights the importance of politics in determining public policy. First published in 1966, Dye focuses on the extent to which political variables influenced policy in comparison with economic ones, in particular economic development. He analyzes the impact of economic development and political variables, such as party and electoral systems on five policy areas: education, welfare, highways, tax/revenue policy, and public regulatory policy. Dye also measures economic development in terms of urbanization, industrialization, wealth, and education. This chapter discusses the importance of Dye’s book in the political science literature on public policy by setting it in the context of the state of political science of the period.

Social innovation and social policy

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Baglioni ◽  
Stephen Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Public Welfare ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Welfare Provision ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Policy Environments ◽  
Public Policy Analysis ◽  
Social Innovations

This chapter discusses how social innovation relates to debates in social and public policy analysis. The chapter outlines the respective normative, analytical and empirical questions raised by social innovation in relation to welfare provision and reform. It discusses how social innovations originate and develop, and the extent to which they can be actively cultivated by policy makers. The chapter examines the varying receptiveness to social innovation of different types of welfare regime. It considers how far social innovations provide secure entitlements upon which service users can rely. The chapter then discusses the potential transferability of social innovations beyond the particular socio-economic contexts and policy environments which germinate and nurture them. The respective impact of social innovation and social movements are considered. The chapter concludes by highlighting the potential conservative or regressive implications of social innovation, and how it could be used to justify withdrawing public welfare services.

Investigating the President

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas L. Kriner ◽  
Eric Schickler
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Political Theater ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Presidential Power ◽  
Political Pressure ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Partisan Polarization ◽  
Approval Rating ◽  
Congressional Investigations ◽  
Over Time

Although congressional investigations have provided some of the most dramatic moments in American political history, they have often been dismissed as mere political theater. But these investigations are far more than grandstanding. This book shows that congressional investigations are a powerful tool for members of Congress to counter presidential aggrandizement. By shining a light on alleged executive wrongdoing, investigations can exert significant pressure on the president and materially affect policy outcomes. This book constructs the most comprehensive overview of congressional investigative oversight to date, analyzing nearly 13,000 days of hearings, spanning more than a century, from 1898 through 2014. The book examines the forces driving investigative power over time and across chambers, and identifies how hearings might influence the president’s strategic calculations through the erosion of the president’s public approval rating, and uncover the pathways through which investigations have shaped public policy. Put simply, by bringing significant political pressure to bear on the president, investigations often afford Congress a blunt, but effective check on presidential power—without the need to worry about veto threats or other hurdles such as Senate filibusters. In an era of intense partisan polarization and institutional dysfunction, the book delves into the dynamics of congressional investigations and how Congress leverages this tool to counterbalance presidential power.

Spatial Development of Innovation Systems in Russia

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidija Sergevna Arkhipova
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Chemical Industry ◽  
Innovation System ◽  
Machine Building ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Regional Aspect ◽  
Level Of Economic Development ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Effective Development

While the development of the country's national innovation system as a whole is very important and should be prioritized, its regional aspect is even more important. The specifics of the Russian Federation's transition to an innovation-based economy is in that that, at the present time, prioritized is the need to ensure the effective development of those economy sectors that underlie the country's specialization and may provide regional and national competitive advantages. To such sectors belong the chemical industry, machine-building and power energetics. We would like to note that initial innovation awareness indicators in the regions are comparable and do not differ greatly but the growth of activity can be observed only in some of the regions. The problem of large differentiation among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation by their level of economic development remains important and has to be dealt with. 

CONTROLLING TOOLS IN MODELING THE EAEU TAX LOAD

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-152
Author(s):  
V. D. KOVALEVA ◽  
◽  
Z. R. KOCHKAROVA ◽  
L. V. IONIDI ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Optimization Technique ◽  
Tax Burden ◽  
Urgent Problem ◽  
Level Of Economic Development ◽  
Soviet Space ◽  
Post Soviet Space

The article is devoted to the urgent problem of taxation of the EAEU countries, the methods of tax burden optimization are disclosed, the feasibility of using the tax burden indicator as a criterion for the level of economic development of a business entity is substantiated, the tax burden of the countries of the Eurasian and post-Soviet space is analyzed, a tax burden optimization technique based on controlling tools is proposed.

Growth and Social Capital: Empirical Analysis of the Relationship

2019 ◽  
pp. 128-134
Author(s):  
Ksenia V. Bagmet
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
International Institute ◽  
Level Of Economic Development

The article provides an empirical test of the hypothesis of the influence of the level of economic development of the country on the level of development of its social capital based on panel data analysis. In this study, the Indices of Social Development elaborated by the International Institute of Social Studies under World Bank support are used as an indicators of social capital development as they best meet the requirements for complexity (include six integrated indicators of Civic Activism, Clubs and Associations, Intergroup Cohesion, Interpersonal Safety and Trust, Gender Equality, Inclusion of Minorities), comprehensiveness of measurement, sustainability. In order to provide an empirical analysis, we built a panel that includes data for 20 countries divided into four groups according to the level of economic development. The first G7 countries (France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom); the second group is the economically developed countries, EU members and Turkey, the third group is the new EU member states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania); to the fourth group – post-Soviet republics (Armenia, Georgia, Russian Federation, Ukraine). The analysis shows that the parameters of economic development of countries cannot be completely excluded from the determinants of social capital. Indicators show that the slowdown in economic growth leads to greater cohesion among people in communities, social control over the efficiency of distribution and use of funds, and enforcement of property rights. The level of tolerance to racial diversity and the likelihood of negative externalities will depend on the change in the rate of economic growth. Also, increasing the well-being of people will have a positive impact on the level of citizens’ personal safety, reducing the level of crime, increasing trust. Key words: social capital, economic growth, determinant, indice of social development.

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