Political Inequality and the Welfare State

Political Inequality and the Welfare State PDF Author: Maren Weiß
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3668973113
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 25

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2018 in the subject Politics - General and Theories of International Politics, grade: 2,0, University of Mannheim, course: Ausgewählte Themen der Politischen Soziologie I: Public Opinion, Political Participation, and the Welfare State, language: English, abstract: In this research paper the relationship between social and political inequality, caused by the welfare state, is explored in detail. On the whole, it deals with the impact of the welfare state on the growing political inequality, which is assumed to result out of a produced increasing social inequality. The theory contains four basic arguments, which partly already exist and are transferred from the dimension of social equality to the political equality dimension. These theoretical assumptions rely on the counterproductive effects of social policies, different welfare regime types, unequal resource distribution and low internal efficacy. The hypotheses, dealing with one theoretical argument each, could be tested through a combination of the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) database and further additional empirical extensions. This research paper fills the gap within the existing literature explaining how the welfare state can foster political inequality.

Political Inequality and the Welfare State

Political Inequality and the Welfare State PDF Author: Maren Weiß
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3668973113
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 25

Get Book Here

Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2018 in the subject Politics - General and Theories of International Politics, grade: 2,0, University of Mannheim, course: Ausgewählte Themen der Politischen Soziologie I: Public Opinion, Political Participation, and the Welfare State, language: English, abstract: In this research paper the relationship between social and political inequality, caused by the welfare state, is explored in detail. On the whole, it deals with the impact of the welfare state on the growing political inequality, which is assumed to result out of a produced increasing social inequality. The theory contains four basic arguments, which partly already exist and are transferred from the dimension of social equality to the political equality dimension. These theoretical assumptions rely on the counterproductive effects of social policies, different welfare regime types, unequal resource distribution and low internal efficacy. The hypotheses, dealing with one theoretical argument each, could be tested through a combination of the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) database and further additional empirical extensions. This research paper fills the gap within the existing literature explaining how the welfare state can foster political inequality.

Democracy and the Left

Democracy and the Left PDF Author: Evelyne Huber
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226356558
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 363

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Book Description
Although inequality in Latin America ranks among the worst in the world, it has notably declined over the last decade, offset by improvements in health care and education, enhanced programs for social assistance, and increases in the minimum wage. In Democracy and the Left, Evelyne Huber and John D. Stephens argue that the resurgence of democracy in Latin America is key to this change. In addition to directly affecting public policy, democratic institutions enable left-leaning political parties to emerge, significantly influencing the allocation of social spending on poverty and inequality. But while democracy is an important determinant of redistributive change, it is by no means the only factor. Drawing on a wealth of data, Huber and Stephens present quantitative analyses of eighteen countries and comparative historical analyses of the five most advanced social policy regimes in Latin America, showing how international power structures have influenced the direction of their social policy. They augment these analyses by comparing them to the development of social policy in democratic Portugal and Spain. The most ambitious examination of the development of social policy in Latin America to date, Democracy and the Left shows that inequality is far from intractable—a finding with crucial policy implications worldwide.

Age, Class, Politics, and the Welfare State

Age, Class, Politics, and the Welfare State PDF Author: Fred C. Pampel
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521437912
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
Detailed analysis of data from the UN, ILO, and the World Bank leads to the conclusion that a large aged population, especially in combination with democratic political processes, has a direct and crucial influence on the level of welfare expenditures.

The Possibility of Politics

The Possibility of Politics PDF Author: Stein Ringen
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 135147670X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 486

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Book Description
The Possibility of Politics explores the power of political reform, specifically reform of the modern welfare state. Can reform be effective if limited to cautious and piecemeal interventions that avoid radicalism and revolution? Can it also avoid unwanted consequences? Will the welfare state survive in the future?Stein Ringen views the welfare state as a large-scale experiment in political reform. To ask if the welfare state works is to ask if political reform is possible at all. By its nature, the welfare state is reform on a grand scale, for it attempts to change the circumstances individuals and families live under without changing and disrupting society itself. But is it realistic to believe a population can get together, set goals and then try to meet these goals through collective actions, specifically public policies, without causing unintended consequences and destroying the state in the process? The welfare state attempts, idealistically, to redistribute welfare without reshaping the economic processes that cause inequities in the first place. Ringen considers how well redistribution has met the test in terms of political legitimacy, its intended effects on poverty and inequality, as well as its undesired and unintended effects on economic efficiency and the quality of private life. Ultimately, does the welfare state work? Further, is the welfare state a good thing?In considering these questions, The Possibility of Politics should be of particular value to academics and advanced students interested in political theory, public economics, social administration, and political sociology.Stein Ringen is professor of sociology and social policy at Oxford University and a Fellow of Green College. He teaches social and political theory and research methodology for graduates in social policy, sociology, politics, economic and social history and other subjects.

Gender Inequality and Welfare States in Europe

Gender Inequality and Welfare States in Europe PDF Author: Mary Daly
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1788111265
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 269

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Book Description
Gender equality has been one of the defining projects of European welfarestates. It has proven an elusive goal, not just because of political opposition but also due to a lack of clarity in how to best frame equality and take account of family-related considerations. This wide-ranging book assembles the most pertinent literature and evidence to provide a critical understanding of how contemporary state policies engage with gender inequalities.

The Welfare State and the Democratic Citizen

The Welfare State and the Democratic Citizen PDF Author: Jennifer Shore
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319939610
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Book Description
This book examines the ways in which the welfare state impacts levels and distributions of political participation and democratic support in Western democracies. Going beyond the traditional contextual accounts of political behaviour, which primarily focus on political institutions or the socio-economic climate, this book looks specifically at the impact of public policy on a variety of political behaviours and attitudes. Drawing on the theoretical insights from the policy feedback approach, the author argues and empirically demonstrates that generous social policy offerings can not only foster democratic citizenship by promoting a more inclusive political culture, but are most beneficial to citizens who are otherwise excluded from political life in many other societies. This book will appeal most to scholars in the fields of political science and sociology who are especially interested in the welfare state, public policy, political sociology, and inequality.

Welfare State Transformations and Inequality in OECD Countries

Welfare State Transformations and Inequality in OECD Countries PDF Author: Melike Wulfgramm
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137511842
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
This book analyzes how recent welfare state transformations across advanced democracies have shaped social and economic disparities. The authors observe a trend from a compensatory paradigm towards supply oriented social policy, and investigate how this phenomenon is linked to distributional outcomes. How – and how much – have changes in core social policy fields alleviated or strengthened different dimensions of inequality? The authors argue that while the market has been the major cause of increasing net inequalities, the trend towards supply orientation in most social policy fields has further contributed to social inequality. The authors work from sociological and political science perspectives, examining all of the main branches of the welfare state, from health, education and tax policy, to labour market, pension and migration policy. /div

Development and Crisis of the Welfare State

Development and Crisis of the Welfare State PDF Author: Evelyne Huber
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226356493
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
Evelyne Huber and John D. Stephens offer the most systematic examination to date of the origins, character, effects, and prospects of generous welfare states in advanced industrial democracies in the post—World War II era. They demonstrate that prolonged government by different parties results in markedly different welfare states, with strong differences in levels of poverty and inequality. Combining quantitative studies with historical qualitative research, the authors look closely at nine countries that achieved high degrees of social protection through different types of welfare regimes: social democratic states, Christian democratic states, and "wage earner" states. In their analysis, the authors emphasize the distribution of influence between political parties and labor movements, and also focus on the underestimated importance of gender as a basis for mobilization. Building on their previous research, Huber and Stephens show how high wages and generous welfare states are still possible in an age of globalization and trade competition.

The Welfare State Revisited

The Welfare State Revisited PDF Author: José Antonio Ocampo
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231546165
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 380

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Book Description
The welfare state has been under attack for decades, but now more than ever there is a need for strong social protection systems—the best tools we have to combat inequality, support social justice, and even improve economic performance. In this book, José Antonio Ocampo and Joseph E. Stiglitz bring together distinguished contributors to examine the global variations of social programs and make the case for a redesigned twenty-first-century welfare state. The Welfare State Revisited takes on major debates about social well-being, considering the merits of universal versus targeted policies; responses to market failures; integrating welfare and economic development; and how welfare states around the world have changed since the neoliberal turn. Contributors offer prescriptions for how to respond to the demands generated by demographic changes, the changing role of the family, new features of labor markets, the challenges of aging societies, and technological change. They consider how strengthening or weakening social protection programs affects inequality, suggesting ways to facilitate the spread of effective welfare states throughout the world, especially in developing countries. Presenting new insights into the functions the welfare state can fulfill and how to design a more efficient and more equitable system, The Welfare State Revisited is essential reading on the most discussed issues in social welfare today.

The Wages of Motherhood

The Wages of Motherhood PDF Author: Gwendolyn Mink
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501728865
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 213

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Book Description
Entering the vigorous debate about the nature of the American welfare state, The Wages of Motherhood illuminates ways in which a "maternalist" social policy emerged from the crucible of gender and racial politics between the world wars. Gwendolyn Mink here examines the cultural dynamics of maternalist social policy, which have often been overlooked by institutional and class analyses of the welfare state. Mink maintains that the movement for welfare provisions, while resulting in important gains, reinforced existing patterns of gender and racial inequality. She explores how AngloAmerican women reformers, as they gained increasing political recognition, promoted an ideology of domesticity that became the core of maternalist social policy. Focusing on reformers such as Jane Addams, Grace Abbott, Katherine Lenroot, and Frances Perkins, Mink shows how they helped shape a social policy premised on moral character and cultural conformity rather than universal entitlement. According to Mink, commitments to a gendered and racialized ideology of virtuous citizenship led women's reform organizations in the United States to support welfare policies that were designed to uplift and regulate motherhood and thus to reform the cultural character of citizens. The upshot was a welfare agenda that linked maternity with dependency, poverty with cultural weakness, and need with moral failing. Relegating poor women and racial minorities to dependent status, maternalist policy had the effect of stengthening ideological and institutional forms of subordination. In Mink's view, the legacy of this benevolent—and invidious—policy contimies to inflect thinking about welfare reform today.