Comparative Social Policy : Theory and Research

by KENNETT

• ISBN13: 9780335201235
• ISBN10: 0335201237
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-08-01
• Publisher: Open Univ Pr

Summary

* What are the social policy processes and outcomes across different societies? * How are these shaped by social and economic conditions? * What are the limitations and potential of cross-national research? Comparative Social Policy explores the new context of social policy and considers how cross-national theory and research can respond to the challenges facing welfare. These challenges include changing demographic trends and economic conditions which have been accompanied by the emergence of new needs and risks within and across societies. This book extends and deepens cross-national research by exploring the theoretical and conceptual frameworks through which social policy and welfare systems have been understood. It critically examines different policy processes and welfare outcomes, as well as the ethnocentricism and cultural imperialism which has permeated cross-national epistemology and methodology. The author concludes by reflecting on how cross-national research can illuminate the complex and diverse processes leading to discrimination and inequality across borders. This leads to a consideration of how it can contribute to the implementation of welfare provision appropriate to the social and economic conditions of contemporary societies. Comparative Social Policy is an essential text for undergraduate and masters level students of social policy, and an invaluable reference for researchers embarking on cross-national social research.

Author Biography

Patricia Kennett is a lecturer in comparative policy studies in the School for Policy Studies at the University of Bristol. She has published material on the comparative dimensions of homelessness, citizenship and social exclusion, as well as the coping strategies of households with negative equity. Her current research interests include homelessness and social welfare in Japan; housing in the Asia Pacific region; and comparative welfare systems.

Table of Contents

List of boxes and tables	x
Notes on contributors	xi
Series editor's foreword	xii
Acknowledgements	xiii
List of abbreviations	xiv
Introduction	1	(1)
The changing context of social policy	1	(1)
Nation, state and welfare in cross-national research	1	(2)
Clarifying concepts in cross-national social policy analysis	3	(3)
Approaches to cross-national analysis	6	(2)
Fragmentation, differentiation and social exclusion	8	(3)
Globalization, supranationalism and social policy	11	(29)
Introduction	11	(1)
The shaping of a globalized world	12	(1)
Capitalism, democracy and deregulation	13	(2)
Transnational corporations, mobile capital and the `race to the bottom'	15	(2)
International institutions and non-governmental organizations	17	(3)
Culture and communication: globalization or polarization?	20	(5)
An ideological shift: from Keynesianism to neo-liberalism	25	(3)
The state, the economy and social policy	28	(3)
Intergovernmental policy, multilevel governance or supranational social policy?	31	(1)
Multilevel governance, social policy and the European Union	31	(6)
Conclusion	37	(2)
Further reading	39	(1)
Defining and constructing the research process	40	(22)
Patricia Kennett
Nicola Yeates
Introduction	40	(1)
What is cross-national comparative social research?	41	(2)
Equivalence in meanings and concepts	43	(3)
Conceptualizing disadvantage	46	(9)
Collecting and interpreting international data	55	(1)
Measuring the workforce: conceptual and definitional problems	56	(2)
Harmonized data: help or hindrance?	58	(2)
Conclusion	60	(1)
Further reading	61	(1)
Theory and analysis in cross-national social policy research	62	(30)
Introduction	62	(1)
Industrialization and modernization	63	(4)
Politics, ideology and the welfare state	67	(6)
Shift in theory and analysis	73	(4)
Recognizing difference and diversity	77	(2)
Welfare state typologies	79	(6)
The gendered and ethnocentric construction of social welfare	85	(4)
Conclusion	89	(1)
Further reading	90	(2)
Development, social welfare and cross-national analysis	92	(24)
Patricia Kennett
Ben Oakley
Introduction	92	(1)
Development as a discourse	93	(3)
Theorizing development and the Third World	96	(2)
Development and social welfare	98	(3)
The New Right, structural adjustment and developing countries	101	(4)
Reviewing the research paradigm	105	(6)
Non-governmental organizations and the state	111	(2)
Conclusion	113	(2)
Further reading	115	(1)
Ethnicity, gender and the boundaries of citizenship: Australia, Britain and Japan	116	(27)
Introduction	116	(1)
The citizenship theme	117	(3)
Welfare and citizenship	120	(4)
Linking citizenship and gender	124	(4)
Policy logics of race, ethnicity and the nation	128	(8)
Restructuring and a renegotiation of the social contract	136	(5)
Conclusion	141	(1)
Further reading	142	(1)
The future of comparative social policy research	143	(3)
Supranational social policy?	143	(1)
A global research strategy	144	(1)
Conclusion	145	(1)
Glossary	146	(3)
Bibliography	149	(18)
Index	167