Social Welfare Regimes Research Articles

When Unemployment Disappears: Ireland in the 1990s

This paper examines the behaviour of the Irish labour market during the 1990s. Over the course of the decade the Irish unemployment rate fell from the highest to the lowest in the EU. Over the same period a record number of jobs was created and all the indicators suggest that full employment was achieved. The primary reason for this “employment miracle” was the output boom, which in turn may be attributed to Ireland’s “super competitiveness” in the late 1990s. Several factors contributed to this – a low exchange rate, the inflow of FDI to high productivity sectors, and wage moderation following the return to centralised wage agreements in 1987. Labour market reforms, including a tightening of the social welfare regime and a switch of spending from income support to active labour market policies, played a positive role. The fact that unemployment has risen only slowly during the current downturn points to the lasting effect of these changes.

Building Political Consensus and Distributing Resources: A Trade‐Off or a Compatible Choice?

Previous articleNext article No AccessBuilding Political Consensus and Distributing Resources: A Trade‐Off or a Compatible Choice?*Yi Feng and Theodora‐Ismene GizelisYi FengClaremont Graduate University Search for more articles by this author and Theodora‐Ismene GizelisAcademy of Athens and Chapman University Search for more articles by this author Claremont Graduate UniversityAcademy of Athens and Chapman UniversityPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Economic Development and Cultural Change Volume 51, Number 1October 2002 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/344512 Views: 48Total views on this site Citations: 11Citations are reported from Crossref © 2002 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Minhazur Rahman Rezvi Exploring Politics of Social Safety Net in Bangladesh through Political Settlement: The Case of Rajakhali Union in Cox’s Bazar District, Journal of Asian and African Studies 56, no.77 (Nov 2020): 1441–1456.https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909620970581Thandika Mkandawire Colonial Legacies and Social Welfare Regimes in Africa: An Empirical Exercise, (Jul 2020): 139–172.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37595-9_5O. Fiona Yap A Strategic Model of Economic Performance and Democratization in South Korea and Taiwan, British Journal of Political Science 42, no.11 (Aug 2011): 213–239.https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123411000287O. Fiona Yap Economic Performance and Moments of Political Transition in East and Southeast Asia, SSRN Electronic Journal (Jan 2011).https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1811267Sam Hickey The Politics of What Works in Reducing Chronic Poverty - A Synthesis Report for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands, SSRN Electronic Journal (Jan 2010).https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1629299Sam Hickey The politics of protecting the poorest: Moving beyond the ‘anti-politics machine’?, Political Geography 28, no.88 (Nov 2009): 473–483.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2009.11.003Jungkeun Yoon Globalization and the Welfare State in Developing Countries, Business and Politics 11, no.22 (Jan 2017): 1–31.https://doi.org/10.2202/1469-3569.1205Jieli Li, Yi Feng, Ismene Gizelis China's New Social Security System in the Making: Problems and Prospects, International Journal of Public Administration 31, no.11 (Dec 2007): 5–23.https://doi.org/10.1080/01900690601052498Sam Hickey Conceptualising the Politics of Social Protection in Africa, SSRN Electronic Journal (Jan 2007).https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1204542Theodora-Ismene Gizelis Globalization, Integration, and the European Welfare State, International Interactions 31, no.22 (Mar 2005): 139–162.https://doi.org/10.1080/03050620590950105Paul J Zak, Yi Feng A dynamic theory of the transition to democracy, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 52, no.11 (Sep 2003): 1–25.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-2681(03)00018-0

Globalisation, memory and welfare regimes in transition: towards an anthropology of transnational policy transfers

Processes of transnational policy transfers are of immense importance in understanding new forms of the reproduction of relations and discourses of power, and of memory and forgetfulness, within particular social welfare regimes. Transnational advice and policy transfers appear particularly unsuited to the need to address the complexities of the ways in which welfare subjects interact with welfare regimes which seek to organise their lives, a theme which touches complex issues of culture, identity and resistance, at the interface of local, national, regional and global social relations. Utilising ethnographic material from post–Yugoslav countries, particularly Bosnia–Herzegovina, this article addresses international consultancy, transnational policy advice, and project and programme documents as a specific ‘genre’ with its own language and power, including the power of silence. The article is based on an explicit erosion of the border between ‘research’ and ‘consultancy’. Theoretically and empirically, a literature on ‘global social policy’ has paid too little attention to an emerging ‘cultural’ perspective on welfare which focuses much more on the social relations of welfare; the role of biographies, subjectivities and memories; and the need for forms of reflexivity and attention to the minutiae of everyday life constructed within, and itself constructive of, ‘welfare’ as a lived experience. Rendering the practice of policy–making as a subject for ethnographic or anthropological research may be the basis for a new action research, and for policy agendas for a democratic welfare, envisioning forms of access, voice, and empowerment, which much current transnational policy advice militates against.

Understanding the Third World Welfare State after Neoliberalism: The Politics of Social Provision in Chile and Mexico

While much attention has been focused on the political foundations of social welfare regimes in the advanced industrial countries, less is known about the politics of social provision in underdeveloped areas, in Latin America in particular. Discussions highlight the fiscal constraints attendant upon free market economic reforms, questions of policy efficiency, and the political uses and abuses of antipoverty spending.1 This emphasis is jarring, however, in the face of a voluminous literature on the emergence of the first world welfare state that emphasizes interests (business, labor), institutions (federalism, corporatism), ideas and culture, social structure (development, industrialization), and politics (left or Catholic power).2 Moreover, the pressures of globalization and economic liberalization are not sufficient to justify the technocratic focus. Recent scholarship has demonstrated that even small or poor states have substantial capacity to govern markets and support welfare regimes.3 Finally, arguments that emphasize pressures for convergence around a minimalist social welfare regime in poor countries run afoul of an empirical reality of persistent difference.

Poverty and economically‐deprived women and children

Theories of the family are outlined and related to the socioeconomic deprivation of females and children giving Indian illustrations. The importance of Sen’s entitlement approach is critically discussed in this context. Although international bodies, such as the UNDP, recognise the importance of gender issues in development, UNDP’s Gender Development Index is found to be a poor indicator of female and family welfare. The question is then investigated of how women and children are faring under structural adjustment policies and in transition. Structural adjustment policies have increased the incidence of poverty among women and children in subsistence contexts and in some former centrally planned economies. Furthermore, disadvantaged wives and children are at increasing risk of falling through social safety nets as the welfare state continues to be dismantled in western economies. Changed social welfare regimes reduce opportunities for disadvantaged children. Unfortunately, many neo‐liberals continue to approach welfare services purely from the cost side and fail to see that the supply of social welfare services can raise productivity and promote social justice. Economists should not avoid discussions of social justice.

Strategies for survival: users' experience of child welfare in three welfare regimes

ABSTRACTThis paper draws on research into child welfare services in France, Germany and England which compares the subjective experience of mothers who have been in contact with family support and child protection agencies in the three countries. The mothers' stories suggest that successful help‐achieving strategies differ according to the nature of the child welfare regime, and that behaviour which is effective in getting a good response in one country may work less well elsewhere. The stories of two mothers in each of the countries have been chosen to demonstrate how the structures of different social welfare regimes affect the efforts of welfare users to get the help they need.

Globalization or glocalization? Community care in Taiwan and Britain

The initial fascination in the west with the economic achievements of the East Asian 'tiger economies' led to an increasing interest in their social welfare regimes. Theorizing on wide-scale socio-economic change might suggest that in occidental and oriental welfare regimes a process of convergence is underway, as a result of competitive pressures generated by the global economy and as part of the diffusion of social welfare discourses worldwide. A particular case of possible convergence, namely community care policies in Taiwan and Britain in the 1990s, is identified. However, despite superficial similarities in policy and practice developments a more careful examination suggests that, whilst they may be infused with similar rhetoric, the context and content of policy and practice in each country is radically different. This suggests the possibility that whilst the global economy will continue to act as a major constraint on social welfare development, with welfare discourses becoming increasingly globalized, the policy and practice which emerges will continue to be inflected by national contexts and mediated by existing country-specific institutional arrangements; a process of glocalization rather than globalization. Die anfängliche Faszination der ökonomischen Erfolge der ostasiatischen 'Tigerstaaten' auf den Westen hat zu einem verstärkten Interesse an ihrem sozialen und wohlfahrtsstaatlichen Regime geführt. Eine Theoretisierung der großformatigen sozio-ökonomischen Veränderungen könnte zu der Annahme führen, daß als Resultat des durch die globalisierte Ökonomie hervorgerufenen Wettbewerbsdrucks und z.T. durch die Ausbreitung wohlfahrtsstaatlicher Diskurse sowohl in den östlichen als auch in den westlichen Wohlfahrtsstaatsregimes sich ein Prozeß der Konvergenz durchstetzt. Dabei geht es hier um den spezifischen Fall einer möglichen Konvergenz der Sozialarbeit (Community care) in Taiwan und Großbritannien. Trotz der bei oberflächlicher Betrachtung scheinbaren Ähnlichkeiten auf der Ebene politischer und praktischer Entwicklungen zeigt eine gründlichere Untersuchung, daß die sich durchsetzenden Politiken und Praxen auch weiterhin durch den nationalstaatlichen Kontext gebrochen und durch bestehende länderspezifische institutionelle Arrangements mediatisiert werden - obwohl die globalisierte Ökonomie nach wie vor einen wesentlichen Zwang auf die Entwicklung des Wohlfahrtsstaates ausübt und die Diskurse über Wohlfahrt zunehmend globalisiert werden. Es handelt sich also eher um einen Prozeß der Glokalisierung denn um Globalisierung. La fasinación inicial del oeste por los logros económicos de los praises del este asiático (los 'tigres económicos') ha llevado a un interés creciente por sus regímenes de bienestar social. La teoría sobre el cambio socioeconómico a gran escala sugiere que los regímenes de bienestar occidentales y orientales, están en un proceso de convergencia debido a las presiones competitivas generadas por la economia global y como parte de la difusión mundial de los discursos de bienestar social. Se identifica un caso particular de posible convergencia en las política y desarrollos práticos, un examen cuidadoso sugiere que, aunque estén infundidas por una retórica similar, los contextos y contenidos politicos y prácticos en ambos paises son radicalmente diferentes. Esto sugiere la posibilidad de que, mientras que la economía global va a continuar actuando como una gran restricción para el desarrollo del bienestar social, con los discursos siendo cada vez más globales, la política y la prática emergentes seguirán siendo moduladas por los contextos nacionales y mediadas por los acuerdos institucionales especificos de cada país; un proceso de glocalización en lugar de globalización. La fascination initiale des Occidnetaux pour les accomplissements économiques des 'Tigres' de l'Extrême Orient les a conduit à s'intresser de plus près à leurs régimes de sécurité sociale. Si l'on théorise les changements socio-économiques à grande échelle, on peut supposer que les systèmes sociaux occidentaux et asiatiques convergent en raison des pressions exercées par la compétition économique mondiale et de la diffusion à travers le monde des discours sur la sécurité sociale. Les auteurs identifient un cas de possible convergence : les politiques d'aide communautaire à Taiwan et en Grande-Bretagne dans les années 90. Cependant un examen plus attentif des politiques et des pratiques laisse supposer que, même inspirées par une rhétorique similaire, le contexte dans lequel elles apparaissent et leur contenu dans chaque pays est radicalement différent, malgré des similitudes superficielles dans leur évolution. Il parait donc probable que les contextes nationaux et les instituions spécifiques à chaque pays continuent à infléchir politiques et pratiques, et ceci parallèlement aux contraintes majeures imposées à l'évolution des systèmrd sociaux par l'éonomie mondialisée, les discours sur le social devenant de plus en plus généraux.

Making Women and Children Matter

This interdisciplinary article analyzes recent federal welfare legislation and welfare reform proposals at the state level from the perspective of feminist ethics. Drawing on feminist social theory and welfare regime analysis, it critically explores the presuppositions about economic value, dependence, and the common good which underlie conservative, liberal and progressive proposals. The work of feminist scholars and activists is the basis for principles for public policy based on interdependence, shared responsibility, and valuing care-giving activities, which more adequately promote the well-being of women, children, and families than current programs.

The Influence of the Catholic Hierarchy in Poland, 1989-96

The Catholic Church in Poland was a major social and political force in communist Poland and it mobilized its diverse resources to achieve significant policy victories in the period of Solidarity governments after 1989. The social welfare activities of Catholic organ izations increased. Thus it looked for a time as though the new social welfare regime would be a type of Catholic corporatism. However, the Church hierarchy did not adapt effectively to pluralist diversity. It often appeared more concerned with its own institutional interests than with the social problems arising from the new capitalist system. The electoral triumph of the successor parties in September 1993 inaug urated a deterioration in the relationship be tween Church and the new government, dominated by secular elements. The Church shifted its attention to a more overtly political agenda, especially the Concordat and the Constitution, and once again abortion. It did not participate in policy debates on welfare benefits, pensions, health or poverty. The coalition delayed ratification of the Concordat and proved resistant to the Church's demands on the formulation of the Church-State re lationship. However, the continuing signifi cance of the Catholic Church should not be underestimated. Politicians remained wary of its influence and it retained an impressive array of political resources.