Bernhard Ebbinghaus
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199286119
- eISBN:
- 9780191604089
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199286116.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Governments have realized the negative impact of early retirement on social expenditures and labor costs, responding with a paradigm shift away from passive labor market policies. Governments seek to ...
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Governments have realized the negative impact of early retirement on social expenditures and labor costs, responding with a paradigm shift away from passive labor market policies. Governments seek to reverse early exit by raising the retirement age in pension systems, reforming disability insurance, closing special early retirement programs, activating older workers, and fostering gradual transitions to retirement. These reforms met many obstacles given the entrenched multiple pathways and status quo defense of the social partners, particularly as benefits came to be viewed as acquired rights.Less
Governments have realized the negative impact of early retirement on social expenditures and labor costs, responding with a paradigm shift away from passive labor market policies. Governments seek to reverse early exit by raising the retirement age in pension systems, reforming disability insurance, closing special early retirement programs, activating older workers, and fostering gradual transitions to retirement. These reforms met many obstacles given the entrenched multiple pathways and status quo defense of the social partners, particularly as benefits came to be viewed as acquired rights.
Herbert Kitschelt
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297567
- eISBN:
- 9780191600104
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198297564.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This is the third of three chapters on the implications of electoral politics and the design of political institutions for welfare state adjustment. Kitschelt's main proposition is that the strategic ...
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This is the third of three chapters on the implications of electoral politics and the design of political institutions for welfare state adjustment. Kitschelt's main proposition is that the strategic configuration of party systems, net of public opinion on social policy reforms, is a critical force that shapes social policy reform programmes and their implementation. He lays out mechanisms that may induce politicians to pursue often unpopular reforms based on internal opportunities offered by the dynamic of competitive party democracy that have received only scant attention in the comparative political economy and social policy literature. The central guiding proposition of the chapter requires two important qualifications: first, that the dynamic of party competition is only one of several mechanisms that affect social policy retrenchment; and second, that a comparative study of social policy change in the 1980s and 1990s would ideally rely on equivalent measures across a wide range of countries, but cross‐nationally comparable measures are not available. These data limitations currently make it impossible to determine the explanatory power of internal political conditions relative to external demographic and economic changes in accounts of social policy retrenchment, so Kitschelt uses case studies from Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, and Japan to illustrate how mechanisms of party competition impinge on social policy change, and beyond that, attempts to generalize his argument based on a reading of much looser expert judgements about social policy retrenchment in a broader set of countries.Less
This is the third of three chapters on the implications of electoral politics and the design of political institutions for welfare state adjustment. Kitschelt's main proposition is that the strategic configuration of party systems, net of public opinion on social policy reforms, is a critical force that shapes social policy reform programmes and their implementation. He lays out mechanisms that may induce politicians to pursue often unpopular reforms based on internal opportunities offered by the dynamic of competitive party democracy that have received only scant attention in the comparative political economy and social policy literature. The central guiding proposition of the chapter requires two important qualifications: first, that the dynamic of party competition is only one of several mechanisms that affect social policy retrenchment; and second, that a comparative study of social policy change in the 1980s and 1990s would ideally rely on equivalent measures across a wide range of countries, but cross‐nationally comparable measures are not available. These data limitations currently make it impossible to determine the explanatory power of internal political conditions relative to external demographic and economic changes in accounts of social policy retrenchment, so Kitschelt uses case studies from Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, and Japan to illustrate how mechanisms of party competition impinge on social policy change, and beyond that, attempts to generalize his argument based on a reading of much looser expert judgements about social policy retrenchment in a broader set of countries.
Peter Taylor-Gooby (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199267262
- eISBN:
- 9780191602023
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019926726X.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
Modern welfare states developed primarily to meet the ‘old social risks’ that confront the mass of the population during a standard industrial life course – retirement pensions, health care services, ...
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Modern welfare states developed primarily to meet the ‘old social risks’ that confront the mass of the population during a standard industrial life course – retirement pensions, health care services, sickness and disability provision. Most analysis of the current wave of reforms focusses on these areas, and tends to emphasise retrenchment, restructuring, and decommodification. This book deals with the ‘new social risks’ that have now emerged alongside old social risks from changes in family life and work patterns – needs for child and elder care, new rights for women in relation to paid work, measures to ease the transition into paid work, particularly for unskilled people, and the problems of social exclusion arising for some groups from policies like pension privatisation. It offers an original approach of the implications for national and EU level social policy‐making and contributes to theoretical work in this area. The detailed national case studies are written by national experts and are based on analysis of policy during the past 15 years and more than 250 interviews with key policy actors. The book is organised in a common framework that enables comparison of the significance of different national welfare state regimes and political institutions.The book shows that (1) The recognition of new social risks and the structuring of policies to meet them are constrained by existing patterns of old social risk provision; (2) The politics of new social risks differs from that of old social risks. Most people are aware of needs in relation to the latter, leading to widespread pressure for more provision. The groups affected by new social risks are smaller, less politically cohesive, and less able to push for change; (3) New social risks policies offer the opportunity for governments to ‘transform vice into virtue’ by expanding the labour force and encouraging previously dependent groups (disabled and unemployed people) into productive work. For this reason, such policies are at the forefront of the EU level welfare reform agenda.Less
Modern welfare states developed primarily to meet the ‘old social risks’ that confront the mass of the population during a standard industrial life course – retirement pensions, health care services, sickness and disability provision. Most analysis of the current wave of reforms focusses on these areas, and tends to emphasise retrenchment, restructuring, and decommodification. This book deals with the ‘new social risks’ that have now emerged alongside old social risks from changes in family life and work patterns – needs for child and elder care, new rights for women in relation to paid work, measures to ease the transition into paid work, particularly for unskilled people, and the problems of social exclusion arising for some groups from policies like pension privatisation. It offers an original approach of the implications for national and EU level social policy‐making and contributes to theoretical work in this area. The detailed national case studies are written by national experts and are based on analysis of policy during the past 15 years and more than 250 interviews with key policy actors. The book is organised in a common framework that enables comparison of the significance of different national welfare state regimes and political institutions.
The book shows that (1) The recognition of new social risks and the structuring of policies to meet them are constrained by existing patterns of old social risk provision; (2) The politics of new social risks differs from that of old social risks. Most people are aware of needs in relation to the latter, leading to widespread pressure for more provision. The groups affected by new social risks are smaller, less politically cohesive, and less able to push for change; (3) New social risks policies offer the opportunity for governments to ‘transform vice into virtue’ by expanding the labour force and encouraging previously dependent groups (disabled and unemployed people) into productive work. For this reason, such policies are at the forefront of the EU level welfare reform agenda.
Peter Taylor-Gooby
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199267262
- eISBN:
- 9780191602023
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019926726X.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
New social risks have emerged in relation to work‐life balance and securing a position in a more flexible labour market across Europe. Policy responses often involve the aspiration of ‘transforming ...
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New social risks have emerged in relation to work‐life balance and securing a position in a more flexible labour market across Europe. Policy responses often involve the aspiration of ‘transforming vice into virtue’ by reducing welfare state spending and at the same time increasing productivity. This is to be achieved by childcare and elder‐care policies and active labour market polices that get more women and unemployed people into paid work. It is difficult for governments and other policy actors to find large groups of voters who support these policies and reform typically involves compromise. However, the new social risk analysis is a corrective to the typical retrenchment analysis of old social risks such as pensions.Less
New social risks have emerged in relation to work‐life balance and securing a position in a more flexible labour market across Europe. Policy responses often involve the aspiration of ‘transforming vice into virtue’ by reducing welfare state spending and at the same time increasing productivity. This is to be achieved by childcare and elder‐care policies and active labour market polices that get more women and unemployed people into paid work. It is difficult for governments and other policy actors to find large groups of voters who support these policies and reform typically involves compromise. However, the new social risk analysis is a corrective to the typical retrenchment analysis of old social risks such as pensions.
Andreas Aust and Frank Bönker
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199267262
- eISBN:
- 9780191602023
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019926726X.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
Analyses developments in Germany and emphasises the way in which the context of a corporatist welfare state settlement and a semi‐sovereign state shapes policy making. Reform is slow and depends on ...
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Analyses developments in Germany and emphasises the way in which the context of a corporatist welfare state settlement and a semi‐sovereign state shapes policy making. Reform is slow and depends on compromises between political actors. At the same time, the structure of old social risks policies pre‐empts available resources and creates powerful constituencies which resist change. Greater political party disagreement on welfare issues in the 1990s and the emergence of a reforming Red–Green coalition were important factors in change.Less
Analyses developments in Germany and emphasises the way in which the context of a corporatist welfare state settlement and a semi‐sovereign state shapes policy making. Reform is slow and depends on compromises between political actors. At the same time, the structure of old social risks policies pre‐empts available resources and creates powerful constituencies which resist change. Greater political party disagreement on welfare issues in the 1990s and the emergence of a reforming Red–Green coalition were important factors in change.
Peter Taylor-Gooby and Trine P. Larsen
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199267262
- eISBN:
- 9780191602023
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019926726X.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
The UK developed an innovative agenda of new social risk policies through the 1980s and 1990s. The Conservative government up to 1997 essentially pursued liberal market reforms with minimal provision ...
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The UK developed an innovative agenda of new social risk policies through the 1980s and 1990s. The Conservative government up to 1997 essentially pursued liberal market reforms with minimal provision for vulnerable minorities. After 1997, new labour developed a programme of work‐life balance and New Deal labour market reforms that represented a change of direction in the UK context. These policies relied heavily on market provision and on market incentives, with a state safety net for those on low incomes, but were more generous than the previous provision and were carefully and consciously structured to enhance work incentives for women with domestic responsibilities and others. They were influential in welfare state debate across Europe and at EU level. Reliance on a private sector, which government cannot directly control, created problems, most notably in childcare, elder care, and pensions. The UK is able to change policy rapidly due to its highly centralised ‘Westminster’ governmental system. Its reform experience has important lessons for other European countries.Less
The UK developed an innovative agenda of new social risk policies through the 1980s and 1990s. The Conservative government up to 1997 essentially pursued liberal market reforms with minimal provision for vulnerable minorities. After 1997, new labour developed a programme of work‐life balance and New Deal labour market reforms that represented a change of direction in the UK context. These policies relied heavily on market provision and on market incentives, with a state safety net for those on low incomes, but were more generous than the previous provision and were carefully and consciously structured to enhance work incentives for women with domestic responsibilities and others. They were influential in welfare state debate across Europe and at EU level. Reliance on a private sector, which government cannot directly control, created problems, most notably in childcare, elder care, and pensions. The UK is able to change policy rapidly due to its highly centralised ‘Westminster’ governmental system. Its reform experience has important lessons for other European countries.
Virpi Timonen
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199267262
- eISBN:
- 9780191602023
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019926726X.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
Nordic welfare states led the way in consolidating new social risk provision through welfare state social care and active labour market policies some two decades ago. Current provision has ...
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Nordic welfare states led the way in consolidating new social risk provision through welfare state social care and active labour market policies some two decades ago. Current provision has successfully resisted threats from the instabilities associated with the end of the Soviet system and globalisation. Key questions now are (1) will it be possible to integrate new poor groups such as migrants and refugees into the system?, and (2) will better‐off groups continue to support the levels of taxation necessary to provide high standards in collective benefits and services?Less
Nordic welfare states led the way in consolidating new social risk provision through welfare state social care and active labour market policies some two decades ago. Current provision has successfully resisted threats from the instabilities associated with the end of the Soviet system and globalisation. Key questions now are (1) will it be possible to integrate new poor groups such as migrants and refugees into the system?, and (2) will better‐off groups continue to support the levels of taxation necessary to provide high standards in collective benefits and services?
Bruno Palier and Christelle Mandin
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199267262
- eISBN:
- 9780191602023
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019926726X.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
In France, new social risk policies were not highly developed with the exception of the established tradition of childcare. Reforms were initially delayed by the strongly entrenched old social risk ...
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In France, new social risk policies were not highly developed with the exception of the established tradition of childcare. Reforms were initially delayed by the strongly entrenched old social risk system. By the late 1980s, it was accepted across the political spectrum that the existing settlement was not sustainable. New policies with a stronger emphasis on means testing and incentives and on finance through tax rather than social insurance were introduced and these have since become more significant. The emergence of modernising policies in the CFDT trade union and the role played by the employers association MEDEF were important in setting the context for change.Less
In France, new social risk policies were not highly developed with the exception of the established tradition of childcare. Reforms were initially delayed by the strongly entrenched old social risk system. By the late 1980s, it was accepted across the political spectrum that the existing settlement was not sustainable. New policies with a stronger emphasis on means testing and incentives and on finance through tax rather than social insurance were introduced and these have since become more significant. The emergence of modernising policies in the CFDT trade union and the role played by the employers association MEDEF were important in setting the context for change.
Luis Moreno
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199267262
- eISBN:
- 9780191602023
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019926726X.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
Mediterranean welfare states, of which Spain is a major example, have traditionally relied on family support and in particular on the unwaged work of women to provide child and elder care and to ...
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Mediterranean welfare states, of which Spain is a major example, have traditionally relied on family support and in particular on the unwaged work of women to provide child and elder care and to support members who have a weak labour market position. During the 1980s and 1990s, social spending has increased and the regional system has played an important role in driving reform and welfare state expansion. However, greater labour market flexibility and demands on women to work have placed even more stress on the family system.Less
Mediterranean welfare states, of which Spain is a major example, have traditionally relied on family support and in particular on the unwaged work of women to provide child and elder care and to support members who have a weak labour market position. During the 1980s and 1990s, social spending has increased and the regional system has played an important role in driving reform and welfare state expansion. However, greater labour market flexibility and demands on women to work have placed even more stress on the family system.
Bonoli Giuliano
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199267262
- eISBN:
- 9780191602023
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019926726X.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
The Swiss political system stresses compromise, negotiation, and consensus. As a result, collective welfare is relatively undeveloped and much is provided through compulsory occupational provision. ...
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The Swiss political system stresses compromise, negotiation, and consensus. As a result, collective welfare is relatively undeveloped and much is provided through compulsory occupational provision. New social risk provision in relation to childcare and benefits for unemployed people is relatively weak. Reliance on guest‐workers, who can be repatriated during recession, helps to mitigate the pressures from labour market flexibility on the Swiss system. During the past 15 years, the movement of women into paid work and high unemployment (by Swiss standards) have reinforced demands for reform. A number of measures have been put into place, often as a result of cantonal pressures and typically as a result of compromises that offer something to both employers and employees, or to mothers and to right‐wing groups. Further reforms are under discussion.Less
The Swiss political system stresses compromise, negotiation, and consensus. As a result, collective welfare is relatively undeveloped and much is provided through compulsory occupational provision. New social risk provision in relation to childcare and benefits for unemployed people is relatively weak. Reliance on guest‐workers, who can be repatriated during recession, helps to mitigate the pressures from labour market flexibility on the Swiss system. During the past 15 years, the movement of women into paid work and high unemployment (by Swiss standards) have reinforced demands for reform. A number of measures have been put into place, often as a result of cantonal pressures and typically as a result of compromises that offer something to both employers and employees, or to mothers and to right‐wing groups. Further reforms are under discussion.
Francis G. Castles
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- November 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199270170
- eISBN:
- 9780191601514
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199270171.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
This chapter focuses on the argument that recent years have seen a ‘race to the bottom’ in social spending. Using comparative data from 21 OECD countries, it shows that social spending has been ...
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This chapter focuses on the argument that recent years have seen a ‘race to the bottom’ in social spending. Using comparative data from 21 OECD countries, it shows that social spending has been increasing rather than decreasing in recent decades and that the welfare state has become a more prominent aspect of public policy in most OECD countries. The chapter also shows that adjustments to take account of standards of provision and real spending per capita do not fundamentally alter this picture.Less
This chapter focuses on the argument that recent years have seen a ‘race to the bottom’ in social spending. Using comparative data from 21 OECD countries, it shows that social spending has been increasing rather than decreasing in recent decades and that the welfare state has become a more prominent aspect of public policy in most OECD countries. The chapter also shows that adjustments to take account of standards of provision and real spending per capita do not fundamentally alter this picture.
Francis G. Castles
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- November 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199270170
- eISBN:
- 9780191601514
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199270171.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
Seeks to use disaggregated measures of social expenditure derived from the OECD Social Expenditure Database (SOCX) to measure the extent of recent change in the structure of social provision and to ...
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Seeks to use disaggregated measures of social expenditure derived from the OECD Social Expenditure Database (SOCX) to measure the extent of recent change in the structure of social provision and to identify types and trajectories of welfare state development. The account shows that change in welfare spending priorities in OECD countries has been much more modest than is commonly thought. It also demonstrates that disaggregated expenditure measures can be used to generate a typology of provision that closely mirrors Esping–Andersen’s three regimes model, but in a way that permits more precise measurement of regime change over time.Less
Seeks to use disaggregated measures of social expenditure derived from the OECD Social Expenditure Database (SOCX) to measure the extent of recent change in the structure of social provision and to identify types and trajectories of welfare state development. The account shows that change in welfare spending priorities in OECD countries has been much more modest than is commonly thought. It also demonstrates that disaggregated expenditure measures can be used to generate a typology of provision that closely mirrors Esping–Andersen’s three regimes model, but in a way that permits more precise measurement of regime change over time.
Jochen Clasen
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199270712
- eISBN:
- 9780191603266
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199270716.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
This introductory chapter reflects on the need for in-depth historically sensitive research on the development of advanced welfare states. Contrasting the diverging trends and social and economic ...
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This introductory chapter reflects on the need for in-depth historically sensitive research on the development of advanced welfare states. Contrasting the diverging trends and social and economic fortunes in the UK and Germany since the late 1970s, it argues that the two countries have all but undergone a role reversal in terms of their efficiency and sustainability as models of modern social capitalism. The chapter introduces the aims of the book, i.e. empirical investigation into, and causes for, the development of three major social policy domains in the two countries over the past 25 years or so. In order to comprehend similarities and diverging trends, multi-causal accounts at programme level are required.Less
This introductory chapter reflects on the need for in-depth historically sensitive research on the development of advanced welfare states. Contrasting the diverging trends and social and economic fortunes in the UK and Germany since the late 1970s, it argues that the two countries have all but undergone a role reversal in terms of their efficiency and sustainability as models of modern social capitalism. The chapter introduces the aims of the book, i.e. empirical investigation into, and causes for, the development of three major social policy domains in the two countries over the past 25 years or so. In order to comprehend similarities and diverging trends, multi-causal accounts at programme level are required.
Jochen Clasen
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199270712
- eISBN:
- 9780191603266
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199270716.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
The chapter puts the book into the context of the contemporary discussion on welfare state reform, and reflects on major concepts and guiding notions, such as retrenchment, re-calibration, and ...
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The chapter puts the book into the context of the contemporary discussion on welfare state reform, and reflects on major concepts and guiding notions, such as retrenchment, re-calibration, and restructuring. It argues in favour of a robust conceptualisation and operationalisation of the ‘dependent variable’, combining both quantitative parameters, such as social spending, with qualitative ‘social rights’ indicators. Furthermore, the chapter underlines the interest both in capturing changes in policy direction (expansion or retrenchment) as well as in assessing policy profiles or patterns of change.Less
The chapter puts the book into the context of the contemporary discussion on welfare state reform, and reflects on major concepts and guiding notions, such as retrenchment, re-calibration, and restructuring. It argues in favour of a robust conceptualisation and operationalisation of the ‘dependent variable’, combining both quantitative parameters, such as social spending, with qualitative ‘social rights’ indicators. Furthermore, the chapter underlines the interest both in capturing changes in policy direction (expansion or retrenchment) as well as in assessing policy profiles or patterns of change.
Jochen Clasen
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199270712
- eISBN:
- 9780191603266
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199270716.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
This chapter reviews the results of the empirical chapters in the light of conceptual and theoretical discussions in earlier chapters. It argues that historically sensitive diachronic comparisons of ...
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This chapter reviews the results of the empirical chapters in the light of conceptual and theoretical discussions in earlier chapters. It argues that historically sensitive diachronic comparisons of policy programmes are particularly suited for a systematic empirical welfare state analyses. Reviewing factors which impinged on policy change, it argues for a multi-causal accounts of change taking account of institutional variation and diverse actor constellation across welfare state programmes. It concludes with an assessment of the EU on national policy making which has been fairly modest in the three domains covered, but it likely to gain relevance in all of them.Less
This chapter reviews the results of the empirical chapters in the light of conceptual and theoretical discussions in earlier chapters. It argues that historically sensitive diachronic comparisons of policy programmes are particularly suited for a systematic empirical welfare state analyses. Reviewing factors which impinged on policy change, it argues for a multi-causal accounts of change taking account of institutional variation and diverse actor constellation across welfare state programmes. It concludes with an assessment of the EU on national policy making which has been fairly modest in the three domains covered, but it likely to gain relevance in all of them.
Jon Pierre and Peter Ehn
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294467
- eISBN:
- 9780191600067
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294468.003.0012
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The first part of this chapter discusses retrenchment, recent institutional changes, and senior civil servants in Sweden; it attributes the recent changes in the senior civil service to the budgetary ...
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The first part of this chapter discusses retrenchment, recent institutional changes, and senior civil servants in Sweden; it attributes the recent changes in the senior civil service to the budgetary crisis of the state and the emergence of a less interventionalist control regime, in which the heyday of state‐driven economic and social change has gone. The main source of uncertainty now concerns the final destination of the rapid changes in many core aspects of Swedish politics and public administration. The different sections of the chapter look at: the size and structure of the Swedish civil service; ranks of senior civil servants; systems of recruitment and promotion; party membership among senior civil servants; inter‐ministerial mobility of civil servants; status in the civil service; the social and educational backgrounds of top officials; informal contacts across ministries and between ministries and agencies; the relationship between national and sub‐national officials and those working in agencies; political party policies towards the civil service; and the social status of the senior civil service.Less
The first part of this chapter discusses retrenchment, recent institutional changes, and senior civil servants in Sweden; it attributes the recent changes in the senior civil service to the budgetary crisis of the state and the emergence of a less interventionalist control regime, in which the heyday of state‐driven economic and social change has gone. The main source of uncertainty now concerns the final destination of the rapid changes in many core aspects of Swedish politics and public administration. The different sections of the chapter look at: the size and structure of the Swedish civil service; ranks of senior civil servants; systems of recruitment and promotion; party membership among senior civil servants; inter‐ministerial mobility of civil servants; status in the civil service; the social and educational backgrounds of top officials; informal contacts across ministries and between ministries and agencies; the relationship between national and sub‐national officials and those working in agencies; political party policies towards the civil service; and the social status of the senior civil service.
Evelyne Huber and John D. Stephens
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297567
- eISBN:
- 9780191600104
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198297564.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This is the first of three chapters on the role of economic interests, and of systems for representing those interests, in the politics of welfare state reform. They explore the linkages between ...
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This is the first of three chapters on the role of economic interests, and of systems for representing those interests, in the politics of welfare state reform. They explore the linkages between national welfare states and national economies, and examine the processes through which economic actors press their interests on policy makers. Huber and Stephens explore at length the linkages between different types of welfare states and different production regimes, and demonstrate that there are in fact quite different configurations within the universe of affluent democracies, with particular types of welfare states strongly associated with distinct systems of economic organization. Their analysis proceeds in three steps: first, a conceptualization is provided of welfare state and production regimes, with an analysis of their performance up to the 1980s; second, an analysis is made of pressures on these regimes and the resulting welfare state retrenchments since the 1980s; and third, an assessment is made of possible future paths to adaptation, recovery, and consolidation.Less
This is the first of three chapters on the role of economic interests, and of systems for representing those interests, in the politics of welfare state reform. They explore the linkages between national welfare states and national economies, and examine the processes through which economic actors press their interests on policy makers. Huber and Stephens explore at length the linkages between different types of welfare states and different production regimes, and demonstrate that there are in fact quite different configurations within the universe of affluent democracies, with particular types of welfare states strongly associated with distinct systems of economic organization. Their analysis proceeds in three steps: first, a conceptualization is provided of welfare state and production regimes, with an analysis of their performance up to the 1980s; second, an analysis is made of pressures on these regimes and the resulting welfare state retrenchments since the 1980s; and third, an assessment is made of possible future paths to adaptation, recovery, and consolidation.
Giuliano Bonoli
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297567
- eISBN:
- 9780191600104
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198297564.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This is the second of three chapters on the implications of electoral politics and the design of political institutions for welfare state adjustment. Bonoli explores the relationship between ...
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This is the second of three chapters on the implications of electoral politics and the design of political institutions for welfare state adjustment. Bonoli explores the relationship between political institutions and patterns of welfare retrenchment, both on a theoretical level and on the basis of the observation of welfare reforms adopted in countries characterized by different levels of institutional power concentration. The main empirical focus is on Britain, an exemplar of strong power concentration, Switzerland, which has a political system characterized by high levels of power fragmentation, and France, an intermediate case. For each of the three countries, narrative accounts are provided of how selected welfare reforms (pension reform in all three countries and unemployment insurance reform in Switzerland) have been adopted. The comparison suggests that the relationship between constitutional structures and welfare adaptation is not a linear one, whereby power concentration is directly linked to a higher or lower rate of success in achieving restructuring, or to the amount of restructuring that can be obtained. Power concentration does, however, appear to be related to the form that welfare state adaptation takes: in contexts of strong power concentration, reform tends to be unilateral and geared towards retrenchment; in contrast, in institutional contexts characterized by veto points, reform tends to combine measures of retrenchment with expansion and improvements of existing programmes.Less
This is the second of three chapters on the implications of electoral politics and the design of political institutions for welfare state adjustment. Bonoli explores the relationship between political institutions and patterns of welfare retrenchment, both on a theoretical level and on the basis of the observation of welfare reforms adopted in countries characterized by different levels of institutional power concentration. The main empirical focus is on Britain, an exemplar of strong power concentration, Switzerland, which has a political system characterized by high levels of power fragmentation, and France, an intermediate case. For each of the three countries, narrative accounts are provided of how selected welfare reforms (pension reform in all three countries and unemployment insurance reform in Switzerland) have been adopted. The comparison suggests that the relationship between constitutional structures and welfare adaptation is not a linear one, whereby power concentration is directly linked to a higher or lower rate of success in achieving restructuring, or to the amount of restructuring that can be obtained. Power concentration does, however, appear to be related to the form that welfare state adaptation takes: in contexts of strong power concentration, reform tends to be unilateral and geared towards retrenchment; in contrast, in institutional contexts characterized by veto points, reform tends to combine measures of retrenchment with expansion and improvements of existing programmes.
David A. Lake
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780197265901
- eISBN:
- 9780191772047
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265901.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
The Pax Americana has produced remarkable political order in Europe and Northeast Asia. For decades, the US has sought to expand this international order into the Middle East. This effort, however, ...
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The Pax Americana has produced remarkable political order in Europe and Northeast Asia. For decades, the US has sought to expand this international order into the Middle East. This effort, however, has sparked a backlash against the US, globalisation, and Westernisation. With state elites now largely co-opted into the Pax Americana, opposition takes the form of ‘private’, non-state actors using terrorist methods. The US response to the global insurgency has included counterterrorism and regime change, but state-building has become the dominant strategy. The core problem in state-building, however, is that though the US and its allies seek legitimacy for the states they build, they also aim to appoint local leaders willing to cooperate in the global war on terror and other elements of the Pax Americana. These ‘loyal’ leaders can govern only autocratically in ways that foment further opposition. State-building as counterinsurgency strategy is counter-productive. The first section of this chapter explains the spread of the Pax Americana; the second briefly describes the reaction to this expansion, focusing on the current global insurgency; the third probes the counter-reaction, highlighting the role of state-building; the Conclusion argues that given a choice between expansion or retrenchment, the US should lean towards the latter.Less
The Pax Americana has produced remarkable political order in Europe and Northeast Asia. For decades, the US has sought to expand this international order into the Middle East. This effort, however, has sparked a backlash against the US, globalisation, and Westernisation. With state elites now largely co-opted into the Pax Americana, opposition takes the form of ‘private’, non-state actors using terrorist methods. The US response to the global insurgency has included counterterrorism and regime change, but state-building has become the dominant strategy. The core problem in state-building, however, is that though the US and its allies seek legitimacy for the states they build, they also aim to appoint local leaders willing to cooperate in the global war on terror and other elements of the Pax Americana. These ‘loyal’ leaders can govern only autocratically in ways that foment further opposition. State-building as counterinsurgency strategy is counter-productive. The first section of this chapter explains the spread of the Pax Americana; the second briefly describes the reaction to this expansion, focusing on the current global insurgency; the third probes the counter-reaction, highlighting the role of state-building; the Conclusion argues that given a choice between expansion or retrenchment, the US should lean towards the latter.
Michael W. Bauer, Andrew Jordan, Christoffer Green-Pedersen, and Adrienne Héritier (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199656646
- eISBN:
- 9780191746000
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199656646.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Economy
Policy dismantling is a distinctive form of policy change, which involves the cutting, reduction, diminution, or complete removal of existing policies. The perceived need to dismantle existing ...
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Policy dismantling is a distinctive form of policy change, which involves the cutting, reduction, diminution, or complete removal of existing policies. The perceived need to dismantle existing policies normally acquires particular poignancy during periods of acute economic austerity. However, scholars of public policy have been rather slow to offer a comprehensive account of the precise conditions under which particular aspects of policy are dismantled, grounded in systematic empirical analysis. Although our overall understanding of what causes policy to change has accelerated a lot in recent decades, there remains a bias towards the study of either policy expansion or policy stability. Dismantling does not even merit a mention in most public policy textbooks. Yet without an account of both expansion and dismantling, our understanding of policy change in general, and the politics surrounding the cutting of existing policies, will remain frustratingly incomplete. This book seeks to develop a more comparative approach to understanding policy dismantling by looking in greater detail at the dynamics of cutting in two different policy fields: one (social policy) which has been subjected to study before, and the other (environmental policy) which has not. On the basis of a systematic analysis of the existing literatures in these two fields, it develops a new analytical framework for measuring and explaining policy dismantling. Through an analysis of six, fresh empirical cases of dismantling written by leading experts, it reveals a more nuanced picture of change, focusing on what actually motivates actors to dismantle, the strategies they use to secure their objectives and the politically significant effects they ultimately generate. Dismantling Public Policy is essential reading for anyone wanting to better understand a hugely important facet of contemporary policy and politics. It will inform a range of student courses in comparative public policy, politics, social and environmental policy.Less
Policy dismantling is a distinctive form of policy change, which involves the cutting, reduction, diminution, or complete removal of existing policies. The perceived need to dismantle existing policies normally acquires particular poignancy during periods of acute economic austerity. However, scholars of public policy have been rather slow to offer a comprehensive account of the precise conditions under which particular aspects of policy are dismantled, grounded in systematic empirical analysis. Although our overall understanding of what causes policy to change has accelerated a lot in recent decades, there remains a bias towards the study of either policy expansion or policy stability. Dismantling does not even merit a mention in most public policy textbooks. Yet without an account of both expansion and dismantling, our understanding of policy change in general, and the politics surrounding the cutting of existing policies, will remain frustratingly incomplete. This book seeks to develop a more comparative approach to understanding policy dismantling by looking in greater detail at the dynamics of cutting in two different policy fields: one (social policy) which has been subjected to study before, and the other (environmental policy) which has not. On the basis of a systematic analysis of the existing literatures in these two fields, it develops a new analytical framework for measuring and explaining policy dismantling. Through an analysis of six, fresh empirical cases of dismantling written by leading experts, it reveals a more nuanced picture of change, focusing on what actually motivates actors to dismantle, the strategies they use to secure their objectives and the politically significant effects they ultimately generate. Dismantling Public Policy is essential reading for anyone wanting to better understand a hugely important facet of contemporary policy and politics. It will inform a range of student courses in comparative public policy, politics, social and environmental policy.
