Handbook of Comparative Social Policy

The current context of social policy is one in which many of the old certainties of the past have been eroded. The predominantly inward-looking, domestic preoccupation of social policy has made way for a more integrated, international and outward approach to analysis which looks beyond the boundaries of the state. It is in this context that this handbook brings together the work of key commentators in the field of comparative analysis in order to provide comprehensive coverage of contemporary debates and issues in cross-national social policy research. Organised around five themes, this impressive volume explores the contextual, conceptual, analytical and processual aspects of undertaking comparative social research. In the first part, the authors are concerned with de-centring the state and extending the epistemological framework through which cross-national analysis is explored. In Parts II and III, the focus is on the conceptual and theoretical frameworks for analysing social policy cross-nationally, while Part IV examines the day-to-day reality of preparing for and carrying out cross-national analysis. In the final section, the authors highlight continuing and emerging themes and issues which are of particular relevance to understanding the contemporary social world. International in scope, this authoritative Handbook presents original cutting edge research from leading specialists and will become an indispensable source of reference for anyone interested in comparative social research. It will also prove a valuable study aid for undergraduate and postgraduate students from a range of disciplines including social policy, sociology, politics, urban studies and public policy.

ISBN 1840648864   DEWEY edition DC22 ISBN13 9781840648867 (What's this?)   Pages 496 Publisher Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd   Volumes 001 Imprint Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd   Weight (grammes) 816 Format Hardback   Published in Cheltenham Publication date 27 Aug 2004   Height (mm) 234 Library of Congress HN17.5.H33   Academic level General, Tertiary education, Professional / Scholarly DEWEY 361.61

		Introduction : the changing context of comparative social policy by Patricia Kennett		1
1		Hollowing out the 'nation-state' and multi-level governance by Bob Jessop		11
2		Globalization, the state and welfare : gendering the debate by Jill Steans		26
3		Globalization, human security and social policy : north and south by Andres Perez-Baltodano		50
4		Social protection by other means : can it survive globalization? by Ramesh Mishra		68
5		Defining comparative social policy by Jochen Clasen		91
6		Conceptualizing state and society by Graham Crow		103
7		The ethnocentric construction of the welfare state by Alan Walker and Chack-kie Wong		116
8		The paradox of care : a Chinese Confucian perspective on long-term care by Julia Tao		131
9		Robin Hood, St. Matthew, or simple egalitarianism? : strategies of equality in welfare states by Walter Korpi and Joakim Palme		153
10		Gender, citizenship and welfare state regimes by Julia S. O'Connor		180
11		Structured diversity : a framework for critically comparing welfare states? by Norman Ginsburg		201
12		Social development and social welfare : implications for social policy by James Midgley		217
13		Social policy regimes in the developing world by Ian Gough		239
14		Crossing cultural boundaries by Linda Hantrais		261
15		Living with imperfect comparisons by Else Oyen		276
16		Constructing categories and data collection by Patricia Kennett		292
17		'Fit for purpose?' : qualitative methods in comparative social policy by Steen Mangen		307
18		The quantitative method in comparative research by Mattei Dogan		324
		More...

"'This Handbook makes a heroic effort to transform the abstractions floating around in the literature on comparative social policy research into a more grounded discussion of what the policy controversies are all about. The contributions in the book climb down the ladder of abstraction which asserts that context, institutions and globalization all count, and that the public - private discourse has changed. The book attempts to specifically show how these abstractions matter in recent social policy practice and research.' - Martin Rein, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US"

 Be the first to write a customer review