Click here to skip to content

Welfare Reform on the Web (February 2005): Welfare State - Overseas

BECOMING EUROPE: IMMIGRATION, INTEGRATION, AND THE WELFARE STATE

P. Ireland

Pittsburgh, Pa: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2004

This study looks at the relationship between the communities arising from mass migration and the most critical collection of institutions in postwar Europe, the welfare state. Concentrating on Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium the study addresses:

  • the entitlements of citizenship;
  • socioeconomic integration and cultural diversity;
  • the future of the welfare state in the face of pressures of globalization.

EXAMINING MYTHS AND TRUTHS IN PUBLIC SOCIAL POLICY: THE LATIN AMERICAN CASE

B. Kliksberg

International Review of Administrative Sciences, vol.70, 2004, p.649-664

Latin American countries are plagued by high levels of poverty, unemployment and crime, combined with unequal access to education and health care. Article goes on to examine a series of myths and prejudices which are obstacles to the implementation of a sound social policy aimed at tackling these problems. Myths exploded include arguments that :

  • social policy just means more spending,
  • the state is an obstacle to progress,
  • the poor are to be disparaged,
  • public participation is of dubious value,
  • inter-agency co-operation is unnecessary.

IN BED WITH THE ENEMY: SOME IDEAS ON THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN NEOLIBERALISM AND THE WELFARE STATE

Y. Hartman

Current Sociology, vol.53, 2005, p.57-73

Article suggests that neoliberal states such as the UK, the USA and Australia employ anti-welfare rhetoric partly to disguise their reliance upon forms of governance which incorporate major elements of what has become known as the welfare state. Contrary to their claims that welfare provision must be dismantled for the health of the nation, neoliberals have in fact pursued a strategy of reshaping but not abolishing welfare regimes. Article explores the contribution of welfare provision to the continued health of a capitalist economy, the maintenance of social cohesion and social control.

THE MOVING FRONTIER IN DENMARK: VOLUNTARY-STATE RELATIONSHIPS SINCE 1850

L.S. Henriksen and P. Bundesen

Journal of Social Policy, vol.33, 2004, p.605-625

Article traces the history of voluntary human service organisations in Denmark over 150 years. Four different phases of voluntary-state relationships are identified:

  • the first phase of liberal social policy supported a dual model with a strong call for self-help and philanthropic initiatives;
  • the second phase, in which social rights and public responsibility were introduced and expanded, supported a collaborative model with a strong public-private partnership;
  • the third phase, in which the idea of a universal welfare state dominated, tended to marginalise voluntary provision;
  • the fourth phase, in which the welfare state was called into question, opened up new opportunities for voluntary organisation activities.

NATIONALISME ET PROTECTION SOCIALE: UNE APPROCHE COMPARATIVE

D. Béland and A. Lecours

Canadian Public Policy, vol.30, 2004, p.319-331

Article explores the possible impact of nationalist movements on welfare state development. It aims to show that sub-state nationalism and social policy are linked in three different ways:

  • some regional governments enact social programmes that can favour the construction of a territorial identity as distinct from one associated with the central state;
  • social policy issues frequently become foci for nationalist mobilisation, which may lead to decentralisation;
  • nationalist movements are involved in the social policy agenda-setting process at both sub-state and state levels.

Article illustrates the relationship between sub-state nationalism and social policy through a comparison of the Belgian (Flanders) and Canadian (Quebec) cases.

TAX MIXES, WELFARE STATES AND EMPLOYMENT: TRACKING DIVERGING VULNERABILITIES

A. Kemmerling

Journal of European Public Policy, vol.12, 2005, p.1-22

Contemporary welfare states use different mixes of income, payroll and indirect taxes to fund expenditures. Paper investigates how the mix affects the labour market. Finds that overall impact of income tax is considerably lower than that of social security contributions and indirect taxes. Taxation also has a stronger impact on low-wage services than on internationally exposed sectors such as manufacturing. The final hypothesis tested, that globalisation has increased the adverse effects of taxation on employment, could not be substantiated.

THE TEMPORAL WELFARE STATE: THE CASE OF FINLAND

R.E. Goodin, A. Parpo and O. Kangas

Journal of Social Policy, vol.33, 2004, p.531-552

Demonstrates how the Finnish female-friendly welfare state reduces time spent by working parents on caring for their children, so that they have more "free time" for themselves. This is achieved through high personal taxation, transfers and childcare subsidies.

A VIEW FROM THE INSIDE: RECOGNITION AND REDISTRIBUTION IN THE NORDIC WELFARE STATE FROM A GENDER PERSPECTIVE

H.M. Dahl

Acta Sociologica, vol.47, 2004, p.325-337

Nordic welfare states make available publicly provided services for pre-school children and the elderly that enable women to combine paid work, motherhood and "daughterhood". However publicly employed female home carers encounter a parallel reality which cannot be described as woman friendly. Their situation provides the impetus for a struggle for the recognition of caregiving work.

Search Welfare Reform on the Web