Handbook on welfare state reform / edited by Bernhard Ebbinghaus (Professor of Sociology, University of Mannheim, Germany) and Moira Nelson (Associate Professor of Political Science, Lund University, Sweden).

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Ebbinghaus, Bernhard, editor.

Nelson, Moira, editor.

Edward Elgar Publishing, publisher.

Series:

Elgar handbooks in social policy and welfare

Elgar handbooks in social policy and welfare series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public welfare.

Social policy.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (414 pages)

Place of Publication:

Northampton : Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025.

Summary:

"This comprehensive Handbook examines the capacity of advanced welfare states to adapt to sustained pressures and unforeseen crises. It explores the enduring relevance of established frameworks in explaining welfare state change as well as their effectiveness in addressing essential areas for reform. Experts discuss reform patterns and trajectories across key policy domains, reflecting on governance models and political dynamics. They assess the mechanisms that shape reforms, such as public attitudes, organized interests, electoral politics, policy learning, and international multi-level governance. With a focus on Europe and further OECD countries, chapters conduct detailed process-tracing of major social policy topics, from pensions and healthcare to education, the reconfiguration of EU social policy and housing policy. The Handbook surveys advancements in both traditional and emerging methodologies for analysing reform processes, demonstrating the evolution of the field and suggesting future research paths in the age of polycrisis. Students and scholars of comparative social policy, welfare economics and welfare states will greatly benefit from this informative Handbook. It is also an essential resource for those studying comparative politics, political economy and contemporary social history"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Contents: List of tables

List of figures

Contributors list

Acknowledgments

1. Welfare state reform in the age of polycrisis: An Introduction / Bernhard Ebbinghaus and Moira Nelson

Part I: Theoretical lenses

2. Exogenous and endogenous challenges to the welfare state / Herbert Obinger

3. Ideas and welfare state reform / Daniel Béland and Ronen Mandelkern

4. Mobilization from below facing welfare state reforms / Benedikt Bender and Bernhard Ebbinghaus

5. Growth regimes and welfare state reforms / Anke Hassel and Pit Jasper Lee

6. New politics revisited: From path dependency to path departure / Carsten Jensen and Georg Wenzelburger

7. Political institutions and the welfare state / Johannes Lindvall

8. Welfare state governance: Going beyond new public management? / Tanja Klenk

Part II: Methodological approaches

9. Measuring welfare state change / Jon Kvist

10. From case-study designs to process-tracing / Cyril Benoît and Marek Naczyk

11. Comparing welfare states and their reforms / Bernhard Ebbinghaus

12. Pooled time-series and other macro-indicator analyses / Carina Schmitt and Kathrin D. Fiedler

13. Longitudinal and life course analyses with individual panel data / Katja Möhring and Andreas P. Weiland

14. Studying public attitudes to welfare state reform with survey research / Elias Naumann

15. Computational social science approaches to studying welfare state reforms / Sebastian Stier, Alexander Horn and Jan Schwalbach

Part III: Reform policy areas

16. Towards social investment in education and training / Ilze Plavgo and Niccolo Durazzi

17. Family policy and its reform in Europe / Mary Daly

18. Activation and flexibilization / Moira Nelson and J. Timo Weishaupt

19. Minimum income protection / Sarah Marchal, Ive Marx and Alessandro Nardo

20. Pension reforms in ageing societies / Karen M. Anderson

21. Healthcare and long-term care reforms / Claus Wendt

22. Housing policies for changing societies / Lindsay B. Flynn and Paulette Kurzer

Part IV: The politics of reform

23. The electoral politics of welfare state reforms / Frank Bandau and Leo Ahrens

24. Welfare state attitudes, knowledge and reform / Tijs Laenen, Bart Meuleman and Femke Roosma

25. Redistributive politics in contemporary welfare states / Jonas Pontusson and Jérémie Poltier

26. Ideational drivers of welfare reform in the European Union / Amandine Crespy and Bastian Kenn

27. Studying the reconfiguration of EU social policy / Miriam Hartlapp and Jana Windwehr

28. International organizations and welfare state reform / John Berten and Alexandra Kaasch.

Notes:

Description based on print record.

ISBN:

9781839108808 (e-book)

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.