Causal mechanisms in the analysis of transnational social policy dynamics: Evidence from the global south

Abstract

AbstractThe aim of this Regional Issue is to generate new findings on social policy dynamics in the Global South and on the transnational factors that shape them. It suggests that the concept of causal mechanisms is particularly well suited for analyzing these dynamics. This introduction presents the concept of causal mechanisms, as well as different approaches to analyzing mechanisms in transnational social policy dynamics. It then summarizes the key findings of the individual articles, which utilize a plurality of mechanism‐based approaches to enable a fine‐grained analysis and explanation through in‐depth case studies, covering the fields of pensions, health, vocational education, long‐term care, immigrant welfare rights, and food subsidies. Finally, the introduction reflects on the implications of the findings for the study of transnational social policy dynamics, and how the study of causal mechanisms can enrich our understanding of these processes.