Comparative Political Economy of Welfare States
Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Theories of Democracy. 3. The political economy of the American state. 4. The twentieth century political economy. 5. Welfare reform and its impact. 6. The development of the electronics industry in India. 7. Political economy of income distribution. 8. The political economy of state subsidies in Europe. 9. East Asian industrialisation. 10. Welfare states and scholarly objectivity. Bibliography. Index.
A welfare state is a concept of government where the state plays the primary role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity equitable distribution of wealth and public responsibility for those unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for a good life. National welfare states are compelled by their logic to be closed systems that seek to insulate themselves from external pressures and that restrict rights and benefits to members. They nonetheless fail to be perfectly bounded in a global economy marked by competition interdependence and extreme inequality and explore the consequences of transnational flows of labor both for the status of migrants who move to welfare states and for the viability of welfare states themselves. (jacket)
A welfare state is a concept of government where the state plays the primary role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity equitable distribution of wealth and public responsibility for those unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for a good life. National welfare states are compelled by their logic to be closed systems that seek to insulate themselves from external pressures and that restrict rights and benefits to members. They nonetheless fail to be perfectly bounded in a global economy marked by competition interdependence and extreme inequality and explore the consequences of transnational flows of labor both for the status of migrants who move to welfare states and for the viability of welfare states themselves. (jacket)
