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The Welfare State, Budgetary Pressure and Labour Market Shifts
Author(s) -
Atkinson Anthony B.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.725
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1467-9442
pISSN - 0347-0520
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9442.00209
Subject(s) - economics , welfare state , welfare , state (computer science) , set (abstract data type) , labour economics , scale (ratio) , social pressure , social welfare , macroeconomics , market economy , political science , politics , psychology , social psychology , physics , algorithm , quantum mechanics , computer science , law , programming language
Public debate about the welfare state in OECD countries has emphasized the need for reform to meet a twofold set of shocks: budgetary pressure and a labour market shift against unskilled workers. The aim of the paper is to set out a framework for examining the implications of these shocks for the optimal scale of social transfers and, in particular, the impact on different societies, distinguishing a restricted welfare state, labelled “the United States” and a more extensive welfare state, labelled “Continental Europe”.