Premium
Comparative Research on the Determinants of the Welfare State: the State of the Art *
Author(s) -
UUSITALO HANNU
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
european journal of political research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.267
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1475-6765
pISSN - 0304-4130
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-6765.1984.tb00099.x
Subject(s) - strengths and weaknesses , welfare state , comparative research , state (computer science) , welfare , positive economics , public economics , economics , sociology , political science , social science , psychology , social psychology , law , computer science , market economy , politics , algorithm
This paper makes an effort to evaluate the present state of comparative research on the determinants of the welfare state. The major thesis is that both theories and comparative results diverge to an extent that is not warranted by reality. Conflicting findings are in many cases explained by methodological features of the studies, a brief summary of which is given in the paper, and theories of the determinants of the welfare state are often presented in contradictory forms. In fact, their major claims may be integrated. The paper outlines a model of the determinants of the welfare state, which attempts to integrate the major findings of comparative research, and which also allows an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of major theories.