Beyond the Welfare State?: The New Political Economy of Welfare

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Pennsylvania State University Press, 1991 - Welfare state - 248 pages

First published in 1991, Beyond the Welfare State? has been thoroughly revised and updated for this new edition, which draws on the latest theoretical developments and empirical evidence. It remains the most comprehensive and sophisticated guide to the condition of the welfare state in a time of rapid and sometimes bewildering change. The opening chapters offer a scholarly but accessible review of competing interpretations of the historical and contemporary roles of the welfare state. This evaluation, based on the most recent empirical research, gives full weight to feminist, ecological, and "anti-racist" critiques and also develops a clear account of globalization and its contested impact upon existing welfare regimes. The book constructs a distinctive history of the international growth of welfare states and offers a comprehensive account of recent developments from "crisis" to "structural adjustment." The final chapters bring the story right up to date with an assessment of the important changes effected in the 1990s and the prospects for welfare states in the new millennium.

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Contents

Political Economy and the Welfare State
40
New Social Movements and the Welfare State
69
Origins and Development of the Welfare State
102
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About the author (1991)

Christopher Pierson is Professor of Politics at the University of Nottingham and the author of Socialism After Communism (Penn State, 1986).

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