Democratic Erosion and Political Convergence

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Galston
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Great Recession ◽  
World Politics ◽  
The West ◽  
Third Way ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
The Third ◽  
Western Politics ◽  
The Welfare State

This chapter discusses the gradual erosion of democracy in world politics, beginning with the rise of the welfare state and the second political convergence of the postwar era—conservative retrenchment. Confronted with resurgent conservatism, reform-minded leaders worked to renovate left-leaning parties and brought the next convergence of Western politics, the Third Way. For some years, international Third Way forces had the wind in their sails, however, the Great Recession ended this era. Across the West, governments struggled to stave off financial collapse, halt the downward slide of output and employment, and restart economic growth. Meanwhile, a populist surge threatens the assumptions and achievements of mainstream politicians and policymakers from the center left to the center-right.

France at a Crossroads

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Leruth
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Great Recession ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Internal Security ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
The World ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Generous Welfare ◽  
The Welfare State

France has established itself as one of the most ‘generous’ welfare states in the world. The Great Recession of 2007–8 confronted French social policy with escalating unemployment and deepening inequalities. Combined with major pension reforms, these led to strong levels of dissatisfaction across the country, exacerbated by tensions over immigration, Euroscepticism, and internal security problems. This chapter examines how these issues developed in political context and uses material from attitude surveys to analyse existing and future challenges for the welfare state in France. It assesses recent reforms: governments of right and left offered contrasting programmes but failed to win public trust. France now stands at a cross-roads, facing a strong presidential challenge from the anti-immigrant, anti-EU right.

Welfare State

2020 ◽  
pp. 525-541
Author(s):  
Eloísa del Pino
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Comparative Perspective ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Crisis Period ◽  
The Third ◽  
Structural Problems ◽  
The Welfare State

The first part of this chapter describes the main features of the Spanish Welfare State, trying to place it in a comparative perspective. The second part identifies the socioeconomic and political factors which explain its evolution since the beginning of the new century to the current situation, focusing on the attempts at recalibration of the system since 2000 and the interruption of this process due to the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2008. The third part analyses the main challenges that the Welfare State has to face in the post-crisis period, which include some structural problems such as its inability to address inequality or poverty during the periods of economic growth. Finally, the chapter speculates about the future of the Welfare State in Spain.

scholarly journals The welfare state after the great recession

2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 200-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton C. Hemerijck ◽  
Frank Vandenbroucke ◽  
Torben M. Andersen ◽  
Philippe Pochet ◽  
Christophe Degryse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Great Recession ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
The Welfare State

Sweden

2019 ◽  
pp. 228-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joakim Palme
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Great Recession ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Financial Hardship ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Protection Systems ◽  
Level Of Living ◽  
Social Protection Systems ◽  
The Welfare State

The two crises examined by Joakim Palme in this chapter impacted differently on the level of living conditions in Sweden. The deep 1990s crisis had a broad-ranging effect on population hardship, while Great Recession effects were much more restricted. The effects of the 1990s crisis were partially affected by the retrenchment of social protection expenditures across the board. This indicates an emerging institutional deficit in relation to the ideal type of universalism often associated with the Swedish welfare state model. In contrast, there were no retrenchment effects on social protection systems as such during the Great Recession, but policy changes made beforehand had actually increased the identified universalism deficit further. This leaves the welfare state at another crossroads, particularly in light of the massive refugee migration that took place in 2015. Nevertheless, the Swedish welfare state managed to avert an increase of financial hardship during the Great Recession.

scholarly journals Welfare State Policy Model as A Poverty Reduction Strategy in the West Sumatra Districts and Cities

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 227
Author(s):  
Azwar Azwar Azwar ◽  
Emeraldy Chatra ◽  
Zuldesni Zuldesni
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
State Model ◽  
The West ◽  
Policy Model ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Social ◽  
West Sumatra ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Welfare State

Poverty is one of the social problems that the government can never completely solve. As a result, other, more significant social issues arise and cause social vulnerability, such as conflict and crime. As a province that is experiencing rapid growth in the last ten years, the West Sumatra find difficulty to overcome the number of poor people in several districts and cities.  The research outcomes are the models and forms of social policy made by West Sumatra regencies and cities governments in improving the welfare of poor communities. It is also covering the constraints or obstacles to the implementation of social policy and the selection of welfare state models for the poor in some districts and municipalities of West Sumatra. This research is conducted qualitatively with a sociological approach that uses social perspective on searching and explaining social facts that happened to needy groups. Based on research conducted that the social policy model adopted by the government in responding to social problems in the districts and cities of West Sumatra reflects the welfare state model given to the poor. There is a strong relationship between the welfare state model and the form of social policy made by the government.

Models of the Welfare State

2021 ◽  
pp. 786-802
Author(s):  
Philip Manow
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Short Discussion ◽  
The West ◽  
Welfare Capitalism ◽  
European Model ◽  
The Past ◽  
State Research ◽  
The Welfare State

IN 1990, Gøsta Esping-Andersen published The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, a work which has turned out to be the single most important and decisive contribution to welfare state research in the past thirty to forty years. In essence, Esping-Andersen argued that we can observe systematic variation in the character of the developed welfare states of the West, which he grouped into three distinct welfare state models: a Scandinavian social democratic model, a conservative continental European model, and a liberal Anglo-Saxon model. This chapter provides a short description of Esping-Andersen’s three regimes; introduces a fourth, Southern European model, which will then be described in somewhat more detail; and outlines a historical and genealogical account of the development of all four models. Finally, the chapter briefly expands on the comparative perspective with a short discussion on whether the regime concept or the understanding of distinct welfare models can also be applied to other regions, such as Latin America and Asia.

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