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This chapter examines the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) contribution to the construction of a transnational social policy language. It traces the changes in the OECD’s social policy discourse from the formation of the Directorate for Manpower Social Affairs and Education in 1974?the high point of “Keynes plus” ideas through the period of “welfare state in crisis,” launched at its 1980 conference?through to the (re-)discovery of a positive, or “social investment,” role for social policy in the 1990s and into the new millennium. The chapter concludes with an assessment of its current position as it extends the geographical reach of its analysis to include the “emerging” countries and tries to come to grips with social policy after the “financial meltdown.”

This chapter discusses philanthropy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Philanthropy is publicly manifest in the vibrant fundraising that takes place at all levels of the population, and in the positive response it receives. A relationship of intrinsic trust exists between philanthropic institutions and the public, as evidenced by the flow of SAR2 billion in donations to only one institutional modality, associations linked to the Ministry of Social Affairs. One weak side of the trust triangle is between the philanthropic organizations and government regulators. This aspect of institutionalized philanthropy requires considerable development to foster a more enabling environment for philanthropic and charitable organizations to expand their role and contribution to the development of society in Saudi Arabia.

Drawing from a comprehensive data base, this chapter offers a longitudinal analysis of those policy fields which are especially of interest for a broad range of civil societal actors (Social Affairs and Inclusion; Health and Consumers). It investigates which consultation instruments are used, which groups are reached with different consultation instruments, and if biased and unbalanced consultation of specific groups is discernible. It is shown that in the beginning of the policy process, civil society is more involved in online consultations, as there is a low threshold of participation. In the later stages of the policy process, however, stakeholder and expert involvement is dominant. In terms of the participative quality, the analysis shows that despite an extension of consultation instruments, this has not alleviated or eradicated imbalances in the participation of different actors.

This chapter examines the development of social affairs journalism during the 1960s and 1970s. It outlines how much of the journalism that was critical of Irish society during this period was written not by Irish journalists, but by outsiders who had made Ireland their home. As the late 1970s and early 1980s unfolded many social issues – such as contraception, abortion, and divorce – that had simply not been written about were now very firmly on the political and media agenda. However, many journalists were not simply observers; they were also participants on both sides of the various campaigns and debates on controversial social issues that dominated the late 1970s and early 1980s.