Handbook on Welfare State Reform

This comprehensive Handbook examines the capacity of advanced welfare states to adapt to sustained pressures and unforeseen crises. It explores the enduring relevance of established frameworks in explaining welfare state change as well as their effectiveness in addressing essential areas for reform. Experts discuss reform patterns and trajectories across key policy domains, reflecting on governance models and political dynamics. They assess the mechanisms that shape reforms, such as public attitudes, organized interests, electoral politics, policy learning, and international multi-level governance. With a focus on Europe and further OECD countries, chapters conduct detailed process-tracing of major social policy topics, from pensions and healthcare to education, the reconfiguration of EU social policy and housing policy. The Handbook surveys advancements in both traditional and emerging methodologies for analysing reform processes, demonstrating the evolution of the field and suggesting future research paths in the age of polycrisis. Students and scholars of comparative social policy, welfare economics and welfare states will greatly benefit from this informative Handbook. It is also an essential resource for those studying comparative politics, political economy and contemporary social history.