The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism [Paperback]

′This is a pathbreaking book. The author has mastered an extremely wide range of historical and statistical data on modern welfare states and integrated the results of his studies into an original and imaginativee analysis of the dynamics of the three types of welfare state regimes.′ Lee Rainwater

′A milestone in the comparative analysis of welfare policies.′ Work, Organizations, and Markets --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Few discussions in modern social science have occupied as much attention as the changing nature of welfare states in Western societies. Gøsta Esping-Andersen, one of the foremost contributors to current debates on this issue, here provides a new analysis of the character and role of welfare states in the functioning of contemporary advanced Western societies. Esping-Andersen distinguishes three major types of welfare state, connecting these with variations in the historical development of different Western countries. He argues that current economic processes, such as those moving toward a postindustrial order, are shaped not by autonomous market forces but by the nature of states and state differences. Fully informed by comparative materials, this book will have great appeal to all those working on issues of economic development and postindustrialism. Its audience will include students of sociology, economics, and politics.

Few discussions in modern social science have occupied as much attention as the changing nature of welfare states in western societies. G?sta Esping–Andersen, one of the most distinguished contributors to current debates on this issue, here provides a new analysis of the character and role of welfare states in the functioning of contemporary advanced western societies.

Esping–Andersen distinguishes several major types of welfare state, connecting these with variations in the historical development of different western countries. Current economic processes, the author argues, such as those moving towards a post–industrial order, are not shaped by autonomous market forces but by the nature of states and state differences.

Fully informed by comparative materials, this book will have great appeal to everyone working on issues of economic development and post–industrialism. Its audience will include students and academics in sociology, economics and politics. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

At the time of writing this book, G°sta Esping–Andersen was Professor at the European University Institute, Florence. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.