Welfare and the welfare state: central issues now and in the future

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- List of figures -- List of tables -- List of boxes -- Foreword -- PART I: Central concepts -- 1. Introduction -- 1.1 What are the central issues? -- 1.2 Overview of the book -- References -- 2. What is welfare? Some basic concepts -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 What is welfare? -- 2.3 Some basic principles, concepts and policies -- 2.4 State, market and civil society -- 2.5 Quality of life - new ways of measuring well-being -- 2.6 Balancing perspectives of equity and efficiency -- 2.7 Summing up -- Notes -- References -- 3. Welfare states and welfare regimes -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 What is the welfare state? -- 3.3 Historical development -- 3.4 What are welfare regimes? -- 3.5 Welfare regimes and welfare typologies -- 3.6 Possible drivers for change -- 3.7 Emergent welfare regimes -- 3.8 Social investment and other perspectives -- 3.9 Summing up -- Notes -- References -- PART II: State, market and civil society -- 4. The state -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Public, fiscal and occupational welfare -- 4.3 The level and composition of state welfare in different types of welfare regimes -- 4.4 Fiscal and occupational welfare and their impact -- 4.5 Choice and equality/inequality -- 4.6 Summing up -- Notes -- References -- 5. Financing the public sector -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Principles of how to finance the public sector -- 5.3 Regional and global economic development and sustainable financing -- 5.4 Impact of demography on financing the welfare state -- 5.5 Summing-up -- References -- 6. The role of the market -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Market and government failure -- 6.3 The financial market - a case history -- 6.4 Marketisation of welfare provision -- 6.5 Summing-up -- Note -- References -- 7. The labour market: employment and unemployment -- 7.1 Introduction.

"The welfare state is still very much central in people's everyday life. The welfare state is at the same time contested and debated, and has often been argued to be in a crisis not only in the wake of the financial crisis. Welfare and welfare states used to be a national issue and prerogative. Today welfare and welfare states are influenced by national as well as regional and global decisions. However, nation states play a decisive role influenced by national preferences and ideas, and, in recent years, populism and welfare chauvinism. This book provides an overview of the central concepts in the light of a state, market and civil society lenses. It also provides the reader with knowledge on distribution in societies and how this interacts and influences different groups and their position in society. There are also chapters dealing specifically with central sectors in the welfare states such as health, long-term care and education. The book uses a comparative approach as this better enables one to understand one's own country welfare, as well as helping to underline and see the linkages to the impact of global and regional issues on welfare states and their development. Finally, the book presents challenges and future perspectives for welfare states and their development. The book's focus on core concepts and the variety of international welfare state regimes and mechanisms for delivering social policy provides a much-needed introduction to the rapidly changing concept of welfare for students on social policy, social studies, sociology and politics courses."

""The welfare state plays a key role in people's everyday lives in developed societies. At the same time, the welfare state is contested and there are constant discussions on how and to what degree the state should intervene, influence and have an impact on the development of society. Recent years have seen an accelerated transformation of the welfare state in the light of the global financial crisis, demographic change and changes in the perception of the state's role in relation to social welfare. This raises fundamentally new issues related to social policy and welfare state analysis. This book provides: - an introduction to the principles of welfare - a conceptual framework necessary for understanding social policy at the macro-level - a comparative approach to welfare states globally - an overview of new ways to organise and steer welfare states - an introduction to welfare state politics and underlying economic framework - an account of equality and inequality in modern societies - new directions for welfare states The book's focus on core concepts and the variety of international welfare state regimes and mechanisms for delivering social policy provides a much needed introduction to the rapidly changing concept of welfare for students on social policy, social studies, sociology and politics courses.""--