Advancing the structure-in-evolution approach: the case of social policy development in Denmark

Abstract

ABSTRACT The structure-in-evolution approach has been proposed as a unified model of change in policy and institutional systems but heretofore has not been applied empirically. This article provides a first such application through an empirical case study of social policy development in Denmark, a country often referenced as its model environment. The case is constructed around a historical account of the country’s employment and social policies and institutions, and a systematic analysis of sequences and regularities in their evolution. Evolutionary patterns representing the structure and dynamics of change were identified both in the broader context of welfare policy development and at lower levels of abstraction, adding further support to this unified analysis and providing a valuable alternative to the conventional understandings of change in policy.