Comparing Liberal Family Policy

Abstract

Before presenting the specific case studies in Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6, I would like to compare the contexts in which family policies are made in the US and the UK. I highlight the particularities of family policy which deserve special attention in this comparison. First, I illustrate the characteristics of family policy that need to be taken into account: how this policy is new in welfare state development, what it abstractly contributes to welfare state theory, and why I think that family policy is especially dependent on ideas in policy making. The second part of the chapter explains my methodological approach and provides the necessary comparative backgrounds. My purpose here is to expand on the similarities and differences between these welfare states as liberal welfare states, each with its own social insurance structures, care models, and family policy styles, as well as the specific ideas around family policy which have historically dominated political debates in these two countries. For a better understanding of the case studies, I also include a description of the dominant political parties and the development of some of their ideas around family policy.