The Direction and Scope of Social Policy Change: Regime-specific or Radical Shift towards Workfare?

Abstract

What is the direction and scope of social policy change? This article assesses the predictions and findings of two strands of literature: “mainstream” social policy analysis, which suggests the absence of radical change and the dependence of change on the type of welfare regime; and the regulation literature, which proposes a radical change from welfare towards workfare that does not hinge on the type of welfare regime. This article's systematic comparative analysis of 17 OECD countries between 1985 and 2002 provides mixed evidence for both accounts.