Welfare regime analysis: 30 years in the making

Abstract

This article analyses the past two and a half decades of welfare regime analysis in comparative social policy, particularly referring to the avalanche of research studies set off by Esping-Andersen’s book The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, and the main developments it led to in terms of developing welfare regime theories, with special reference to the development of ideal types. The article applies the method of developing social policy theory, in particular ideal-typical welfare regime theory. It looks at the differences between the theory (and method) of using ‘ideal types’ and the ones that rely on ‘real types’. In particular, the study will discuss different choices and ways of how to develop ideal types in comparative welfare regime analysis.