Power Resources and Employer-Centered Approaches in Explanations of Welfare States and Varieties of Capitalism: Protagonists, Consenters, and Antagonists

2006 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter Korpi
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Varieties Of Capitalism ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Partisan Politics ◽  
Socioeconomic Class ◽  
State Expansion ◽  
Power Resources ◽  
Coordinated Market Economies ◽  
Distributive Conflict

The power resources approach, underlining the relevance of socioeconomic class and partisan politics in distributive conflict within capitalist economies, is challenged by employer-centered approaches claiming employers and cross-class alliances to have been crucial in advancing the development of welfare states and varieties of capitalism. Theoretically and empirically these claims are problematic. In welfare state expansion, employers have often been antagonists, under specific conditions consenters, but very rarely protagonists. Well-developed welfare states and coordinated market economies have emerged in countries with strong left parties in long-term cabinet participation or in countries with state corporatist institutional traditions and confessional parties in intensive competition with left parties.

scholarly journals Economic Globalization and the Welfare State in Affluent Democracies, 1975–2001

2005 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 921-948 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Brady ◽  
Jason Beckfield ◽  
Martin Seeleib-Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Economic Globalization ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
State Expansion ◽  
State Variation ◽  
State Models ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Previous Scholarship ◽  
The Welfare State

Previous scholarship is sharply divided over how or if globalization influences welfare states. The effects of globalization may be positive causing expansion, negative triggering crisis and reduction, curvilinear contributing to convergence, or insignificant. We bring new evidence to bear on this debate with an analysis of three welfare state measures and a comprehensive array of economic globalization indicators for 17 affluent democracies from 1975 to 2001. The analysis suggests several conclusions. First, state-of-the-art welfare state models warrant revision in the globalization era. Second, most indicators of economic globalization do not have significant effects, but a few affect the welfare state and improve models of welfare state variation. Third, the few significant globalization effects are in differing directions and often inconsistent with extant theories. Fourth, the globalization effects are far smaller than the effects of domestic political and economic factors. Fifth, the effects of globalization are not systematically different between European and non-European countries, or liberal and non-liberal welfare regimes. Increased globalization and a modest convergence of the welfare state have occurred, but globalization does not clearly cause welfare state expansion, crisis, and reduction or convergence. Ultimately, this study suggests skepticism toward bold claims about globalization's effect on the welfare state.

scholarly journals Artificial Intelligence as a Resilient Tool for Fighting Inequalities in the COVID-19 Crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Luís Capucha ◽  
Nuno Nunes ◽  
Alexandre Calado
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Human Enhancement ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Term Change

Can artificial intelligence (AI) be a sustainable way to help solving the Covid-19 global problem? What does the way how welfare states, charity organizations and labour markets are dealing with the pandemic crisis tells us about the AI capacity for reducing exposition of underprivileged groups to the desease? It is becoming more and more visible how the new coronavirus pandemic is affecting specifically the most deprived and vulnerable groups, and also the big difference that welfare states and their policies make. What did the pandemic show about the relations between social inequality, welfare state provision and AI? This presentation will discuss the role of AI as a tool for public policies fighting inequalities that were amplified during the Covid-19 crisis. It will be analysed how the welfare state, the labour market and social communities are already incorporating AI tools and how this can eventually produce more resilient paths. Accelareted and amplified by the Covid-19, several processes of AI penetration in health, education, healthcare, social security, public administrations, labour and surveillance of citizens, became a subject of public discussion. Artificial intelligence is currently a process of long-term change in health and biotechnologies, long-distance education, teleworking, automation, robotization, consumption behaviours, surveillance and human enhancement. An in-deep analysis of the Portuguese case will support the lessons that can be learnt from AI and its use in public policies in a context of pandemic crisis, leading to a set of political recommendations, to promote its application as a resilient tool to fight inequalities.

scholarly journals The Erosion of The Institutional Pillars of the German Sozialstaat

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-103
Author(s):  
Schiller Christof ◽  
Kuhnle Stein
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Social Risks ◽  
Analytical Review ◽  
Path Dependent ◽  
Welfare Reforms

In scholarly literature, Germany often serves as a prime example of the conservative welfare state par excellence. Notwithstanding, a huge number of welfare reforms have been introduced since 1980, in particular during the last ten years. The article examines whether the institutional welfare elements attributed to Germany are still intact based on an analytical review of reforms in the areas of pensions, long-term care, and policies regarding families, the labor market, and health care. Have reforms been path-dependent adjustments, or are signs of transformative change evident? The conclusion is that the model conservative welfare state no longer exists, and that a new hybrid welfare state, combining elements from several types of welfare states, is developing. While we find substantial liberalization (of social risks) in most social policy areas, we also find extended state responsibility and more universalism (inspired by Scandinavian countries) in the area of family policy.

From domestic to international justice: the welfare state and foreign aid

1995 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Noël ◽  
Jean-Philippe Thérien
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Foreign Aid ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Social Spending ◽  
Partisan Politics ◽  
Donor Behavior ◽  
Domestic Spending ◽  
The Welfare State

Foreign aid often is interpreted as an international projection of domestic income redistribution mechanisms, and many authors suggest that differences between welfare states account for variations in donor behavior. A new understanding of the welfare state can improve traditional explanations of this linkage. Existing studies of the welfare–aid relationship use two welfare state indicators: domestic spending and partisan politics. We propose a third type of indicator—the institutional attributes of the welfare state—and demonstrate its relevance. The level of foreign aid provided by a country varies with social spending, but even more so with the degree to which its welfare state embodies socialist attributes. This finding helps explain how domestic political institutions influence the evolution of international cooperation and, specifically, how welfare principles institutionalized at the domestic level shape the participation of developed countries in the international aid regime.

The Challenges Posed to Welfare States by Globalization

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 448-464
Author(s):  
Chaim Shinar
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Nation State ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Development ◽  
Economic Constraints ◽  
Long Term Trend ◽  
The Welfare State

When the debate on globalization started in the early 1990s, the dominant assumption was that globalization was a shocking new phenomenon. Moreover, this new development was seen as an attempt to undermine the sovereignty and economic functions of the nation state, hence undermining the fundamental basis of the welfare state. According to this perspective, the welfare state was expected to collapse as a result of economic constraints. Some influential publications promoted the idea that countries would find themselves captured in a global trap. At least in the field of social sciences, this thesis was interpreted differently: the weakening of the nation state by globalization was considered a myth that served as an excuse for cutting government budgets. Since then, the social sciences have developed an approach to globalization as a long-term trend within the capitalistic framework, driven by economic and political developments and dependent on pre-existing social conditions.

scholarly journals Varieties of Capitalism and labour market opportunities for the youth

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-251
Author(s):  
Felix Hörisch ◽  
Jale Tosun ◽  
Julian Erhardt ◽  
William Maloney
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Varieties Of Capitalism ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Economic Institutions ◽  
Market Economies ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Coordinated Market Economies ◽  
Market Opportunities ◽  
Original Survey ◽  
People’S Attitudes

In this study, we examine the extent to which socio-economic institutions shape young people’s perceptions of labour market opportunity structures and their employment attitudes (i.e. skills and retraining). Building on the varieties of capitalism approach, we expect young people (aged 18–35) in coordinated market economies (CMEs) with encompassing welfare states to regard firm- and industry-specific skills as more important than their peers in liberal market economies (LMEs). To assess this proposition, we draw on original survey data and compare young people’s employment attitudes in five European countries: the United Kingdom (UK), which represents a typical liberal market economy, and Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland as representatives of coordinated market economies. To what extent do different training regimes in CMEs and LMEs shape individual attitudes towards skill formation? The empirical analysis shows that young people’s attitudes with regard to the specificity of skills and the willingness to undertake retraining differ systematically between CME and LME countries and supports our argument that the specific socio-economic institutions matter.

Healthcare

2019 ◽  
pp. 242-265
Author(s):  
Antonia Maioni ◽  
Theodore R. Marmor
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
National Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
State Expansion ◽  
Policy Evolution ◽  
Welfare State Development ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
The U.S

The differences and similarities in health policy between the United States (U.S.) and Canada provide useful examples of how political institutions can shape democratic governance. These institutions have shaped both the obstacles to rapid welfare state expansion and the nature of the political reform coalitions that have been able to break through those obstacles. This chapter explores contending explanations of welfare state development, and then develops an institutional approach with which to parse though crucial differences between the U.S. and Canadian welfare states, and policy evolution in their healthcare systems. The chapter focuses on the role that political institutions have played in influencing national policy choices and in explaining policy differences between the U.S. and Canada. This comparison also bridges institutionalist theories with a more nuanced understanding of the way in which institutional arrangements interact with parties, policies, and welfare state outcomes.

scholarly journals Majoritarian systems, rural groups, and (arrested) welfare state development

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-254
Author(s):  
Carl Henrik Knutsen ◽  
Magnus Bergli Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
State Development ◽  
Proportional Systems ◽  
State Expansion ◽  
Power Resources ◽  
Welfare State Development

While some scholars suggest that rural groups contribute to welfare state expansion, we highlight their incentives to restrain it. The ability of rural groups to achieve this preference hinges on their power resources, but also on the electoral system. We propose that in majoritarian systems, rural groups can often veto welfare legislation. In proportional systems this is less feasible, even for resource-rich groups. Instead, agrarian groups sometimes accept welfare legislation in return for other policy-concessions in post-electoral bargaining. We illustrate the argument with British and Norwegian historical experiences, and test the implications using panel data from 96 democracies. We find evidence that resourceful agrarian groups effectively arrest welfare state development in majoritarian systems, but not in proportional systems. As expected, the electoral system matters less for welfare state expansion when agrarian groups are weak. The results are robust to using alternative estimators, measures, samples and model specifications.

Social Rights Advocacy and State Building: T. H. Marshall in the Hands of Social Reformers

1995 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jytte Klausen
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Political Conflict ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Social Rights ◽  
Social Citizenship ◽  
Retirement Benefits ◽  
Flat Rate ◽  
State Expansion ◽  
Electoral Coalitions

This article argues that it is a fallacy to regard “social citizenship” as granting social rights equivalent to civil rights and suffrage. The argument is based partly upon a textual analysis showing that in formulating his influential “trinity” of citizenship, T. H. Marshall obfuscated differences between the distributional logic of redistributive policy and political and civil rights. The second part of the argument is based upon an empirical discussion of how social citizenship arguments have been applied to create comprehensive social reform.The Scandinavian welfare states play a central role in the discussion as examples of the inclu-sionary benefits of social citizenship. Three instances of welfare state expansion are discussed: the passage of legislation establishing flat-rate retirement benefits, the institution of supplementary earnings-related retirement benefits, and feminist mobilization in the 1980s for a “woman-friendly” welfare state. It is shown that claims to social citizenship are used by out-groups to demand inclusion in electoral coalitions aiming at welfare state expansion.The article concludes that social citizenship is inextricably linked to redistributive political conflict between in-groups and out-groups and depends upon state capacity to raise revenues and to police entitlement. A key difference between social rights and political and civil rights is that consumption of the former hinges on both the consent of the community and the willingness of others to pay for such consumption, while consumption of the latter does not impose direct costs upon others.

Power Resources and the Canadian Welfare State: Unions, Partisanship and Interprovincial Differences in Inequality and Poverty Reduction

2014 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 717-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney Haddow
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
International Standard ◽  
Power Resources ◽  
Advanced Capitalist

AbstractThis article seeks to measure and explain interprovincial differences in inequality and poverty reduction since the 1980s for non-elderly Canadian families. These variations are compared with dissimilarities among the advanced capitalist welfare states, where they are large. Interprovincial discrepancies are shown to be ample by this international standard. The article also finds that power resources theory, which draws attention to the role of union strength and partisan incumbency in explaining welfare state variations, accounts for an important part of these interprovincial differences. These findings suggest that sub-national jurisdictions can be more consequential for welfare state outcomes than comparative research has acknowledged, and that power resources accounts deserve more attention in Canadian social policy scholarship.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document