European Integration and an Institutional Theory of Inequality

This chapter provides an overview of the book’s main themes. The book argues that European integration has reorganized class struggle to the European level, entrenching a technocratic capitalism that weakens welfare states and raises income inequality. It asks: How have the fruits of European labor been distributed? Who wins and who loses from European integration? How are citizenship rights and economic fortunes being distributed? The remainder of the chapter discusses trends in welfare-state development and income inequality; current approaches to the welfare state and income inequality; and the turn toward to technocratic capitalism that now characterizes the EU’s policy priorities.

The Nordic welfare state in a European context: dealing with new economic and ideological challenges in the 1990s

European Review ◽

10.1017/s1062798700004968 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 379-398 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Stein Kuhnle

Keyword(s):

Welfare State ◽

Basic Structure ◽

Welfare States ◽

Common Denominator ◽

Welfare Systems ◽

Social Policy Reform ◽

Nordic Welfare State ◽

Generous Welfare ◽

Within the framework of a general discussion of ‘the state of the welfare state’ in economically advanced West European democracies, this paper offers an account and interpretation of how the Nordic welfare states, often perceived as the most comprehensive and ‘generous’ welfare states, met a number of challenges in the 1990s. Economic problems were most critical in Finland and Sweden in the early 1990s, and social policy reform activities with the aim of modifications of programmes and cutbacks in expenditure have been most pronounced in these countries. A single common denominator for Nordic welfare state development in the 1990s is a somewhat less generous welfare state, but Norway is generally an exception. The basic structure of the welfare systems has been preserved, and social, health and welfare issues are consistently of high priority for governments and voters. The welfare state is highly valued in Scandinavia, but more space for market and other non-governmental welfare solutions is likely to grow in the future.

Introduction

10.1093/oso/9780198779599.003.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Herbert Obinger ◽

Klaus Petersen ◽

Peter Starke

Keyword(s):

Welfare State ◽

Research Question ◽

Welfare States ◽

Demand Side ◽

National Narratives ◽

Military Conflict ◽

Scant Attention ◽

Post War ◽

The Introduction presents the overarching research question of the book, namely the question of whether and how war between nations has influenced the development of advanced welfare states. This question has received only scant attention from the welfare state literature so far. The Introduction reviews the fragmented literature in history and social science with a focus on national narratives and revisionist positions, and argues for a comparative angle which puts the various causal mechanisms linking mass war and welfare state development. These mechanisms are systematized, using a heuristic of supply- vs. demand-side mechanisms and three distinct phases of military conflict: war preparation, mobilization, and the post-war period.

INCOME INEQUALITY, MOBILITY, AND THE WELFARE STATE: A POLITICAL ECONOMY MODEL

Macroeconomic Dynamics ◽

10.1017/s1365100512000028 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 17 (6) ◽

pp. 1198-1226 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Luca Bossi ◽

Gulcin Gumus

Keyword(s):

Income Inequality ◽

Welfare State ◽

Social Insurance ◽

Overlapping Generations ◽

Tax Rates ◽

Overlapping Generations Model ◽

Public Programs ◽

Transfer Payments ◽

Set Up ◽

In this paper, we set up a three-period stochastic overlapping-generations model to analyze the implications of income inequality and mobility for demand for redistribution and social insurance. We model the size of two different public programs under the welfare state. We investigate bidimensional voting on the tax rates that determine the allocation of government revenues among transfer payments and old-age pensions. We show that the coalitions formed, the resulting political equilibria, and the demand for redistribution crucially depend on the level of income inequality and mobility.

„Globalization of the Welfare State? World Society, Transnational Social Policy and ‘New Welfare States’ in Transitional Countries (with special reference to China)“ Internationale Konferenz des Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg, Delmenhorst, 6.–8. Februar 2004

KZfSS Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie ◽

10.1007/s11577-003-0140-3 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 55 (4) ◽

pp. 822-823

Keyword(s):

Social Policy ◽

Welfare State ◽

Special Reference ◽

Welfare States ◽

World Society ◽

Transitional Countries ◽

The Second Marriage of Justice and Efficiency

Journal of Social Policy ◽

10.1017/s0047279400017827 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 1-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Philippe van Parijs

Keyword(s):

Social Policy ◽

Welfare State ◽

Welfare States ◽

Current Debate ◽

Postwar Period ◽

Basic Income ◽

Ex Ante ◽

Major Reform ◽

Positive Effect ◽

ABSTRACTNo major reform of the welfare state has a chance of going through unless one can make a plausible case as to both its ‘ethical value’ and its ‘economic.value’, that is, that it would have a positive effect in terms of both justice and efficiency. In this essay, this rough conjecture is first presented, and its plausibility probed, on the background of some stylised facts about the rise of modern welfare states in the postwar period. Next, the focus is shifted to the current debate on the introduction of a basic income, a completely unconditional grant paid ex ante to all citizens. It is argued that if basic income is to have a chance of meeting the strong twofold condition stipulated in the conjecture, some major changes are required in the way one usually thinks about justice and efficiency in connection with social policy. But once these changes are made, as they arguably must be, the chance that basic income may be able to meet the challenge is greatly enhanced.

Economic Globalization and the Welfare State in Affluent Democracies, 1975–2001

American Sociological Review ◽

10.1177/000312240507000603 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 70 (6) ◽

pp. 921-948 ◽

Cited By ~ 153

Author(s):

David Brady ◽

Jason Beckfield ◽

Martin Seeleib-Kaiser

Keyword(s):

Welfare State ◽

Economic Globalization ◽

Welfare States ◽

Welfare Regimes ◽

State Expansion ◽

State Variation ◽

State Models ◽

New Evidence ◽

Previous Scholarship ◽

Previous scholarship is sharply divided over how or if globalization influences welfare states. The effects of globalization may be positive causing expansion, negative triggering crisis and reduction, curvilinear contributing to convergence, or insignificant. We bring new evidence to bear on this debate with an analysis of three welfare state measures and a comprehensive array of economic globalization indicators for 17 affluent democracies from 1975 to 2001. The analysis suggests several conclusions. First, state-of-the-art welfare state models warrant revision in the globalization era. Second, most indicators of economic globalization do not have significant effects, but a few affect the welfare state and improve models of welfare state variation. Third, the few significant globalization effects are in differing directions and often inconsistent with extant theories. Fourth, the globalization effects are far smaller than the effects of domestic political and economic factors. Fifth, the effects of globalization are not systematically different between European and non-European countries, or liberal and non-liberal welfare regimes. Increased globalization and a modest convergence of the welfare state have occurred, but globalization does not clearly cause welfare state expansion, crisis, and reduction or convergence. Ultimately, this study suggests skepticism toward bold claims about globalization's effect on the welfare state.

Social innovation as a policy response to restructure the welfare state

Multidiszciplináris Tudományok ◽

10.35925/j.multi.2021.5.29 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 269-276

Author(s):

Doğa Başar Sariipek ◽

Gökçe Cerev ◽

Bora Yenihan

Keyword(s):

Welfare State ◽

Social Protection ◽

Social Innovation ◽

Welfare States ◽

The State ◽

Welfare Provision ◽

Civil Society Organisations ◽

Leading Role ◽

Social Risks ◽

The focus of this paper is the interaction between social innovation and restructuring welfare state. Modern welfare states have been reconfiguring their welfare mixes through social innovation. This includes a productive integration of formal and informal actors with support and leading role of the state. This collaboration becomes significantly important since it means the integration of not only the actors, but also their capabilities and resources in today’s world where new social risks and new social challenges have emerged and no actor can overcome these by its own. Therefore, social innovation is a useful tool in the new role sharing within the welfare mix in order to reach higher levels of satisfaction and success in welfare provision. The main point here is that this is not a zero-sum competition; gaining more power of the actors other than the state – the market, civil society organisations and the family – does not necessarily mean that the state lost its leading role and power. This is rather a new type of cooperation among actors and their capabilities as well as their resources in welfare provision. In this sense, social innovation may contribute well to the debates over the financial crisis of the welfare state since it may lead to the more wisely use of existing resources of welfare actors. Thanks to social innovative programs, not only the NGOs, but also market forces as well as citizens are more active to access welfare provisions and social protection in the broadest sense. Thus, social innovative strategies are definitely a solid step taken towards “enabling” or “active” welfare state.

The Welfare State, Turnout, and the Economy: A Comparative Analysis

American Political Science Review ◽

10.2307/1964232 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 86 (2) ◽

pp. 444-454 ◽

Cited By ~ 103

Author(s):

Benjamin Radcliff

Keyword(s):

Welfare State ◽

Time Series Data ◽

Economic Voting ◽

Series Data ◽

National Elections ◽

Middle Range ◽

Midterm Elections ◽

While the economic voting literature is voluminous, comparatively little attention has been paid to the question of how—or whether—the economy affects turnout. I address this issue by examining national elections in 29 countries. Using time series data, the initial findings are replicated by a case study of American presidential and midterm elections since 1896. It is argued that the effect of economic adversity depends upon the degree of welfare state development. This relationship is argued to be nonlinear, so that mobilization occurs at either extreme while withdrawal obtains in the middle range. The importance to democratic theory, the study of elections, and the politics of welfare policy are discussed.

Ethics

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198828389.013.2 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 22-38

Author(s):

Stuart White

Keyword(s):

Welfare State ◽

Final Section ◽

Basic Needs ◽

Political Context ◽

Welfare States ◽

The Core ◽

National Welfare ◽

Normative Issues ◽

This chapter seeks to clarify some of the core ethical arguments surrounding welfare states. The analysis focuses on three key values. First, we will consider the concept of need. What are basic needs? How do we conceptualize and measure them? Do citizens have rights to what they need? Second, we focus on principles of equality and, third, we look at arguments surrounding the implications of the welfare state for liberty. A final section concludes by noting some normative issues moving increasingly to the forefront of debate. A changing global political context raises new issues about the international salience of these issues, questions which national welfare states have found it difficult to address.

Models of the Welfare State

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198828389.013.45 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 786-802

Author(s):

Philip Manow

Keyword(s):

Welfare State ◽

Welfare States ◽

Anglo Saxon ◽

Short Discussion ◽

The West ◽

Welfare Capitalism ◽

European Model ◽

The Past ◽

State Research ◽

IN 1990, Gøsta Esping-Andersen published The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, a work which has turned out to be the single most important and decisive contribution to welfare state research in the past thirty to forty years. In essence, Esping-Andersen argued that we can observe systematic variation in the character of the developed welfare states of the West, which he grouped into three distinct welfare state models: a Scandinavian social democratic model, a conservative continental European model, and a liberal Anglo-Saxon model. This chapter provides a short description of Esping-Andersen’s three regimes; introduces a fourth, Southern European model, which will then be described in somewhat more detail; and outlines a historical and genealogical account of the development of all four models. Finally, the chapter briefly expands on the comparative perspective with a short discussion on whether the regime concept or the understanding of distinct welfare models can also be applied to other regions, such as Latin America and Asia.