Divisions of Welfare: A Critical Introduction to Comparative Social Policy - Softcover

Ginsburg, Norman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803984413 ISBN 13: 9780803984417

Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd, 1992

Synopsis

Ginsburg′s compelling new volume presents a critical and comparative appraisal of social policy in four advanced capitalist countries: Sweden, Germany, Britain, and the United States. By integrating class, race, and gender perspectives into social policy analysis, the book illuminates the impact of welfare measures on these divisions. Ginsburg outlines the major social policy developments in each state since the 1930s, concentrating particularly on the restructuring since the world recession of the mid-1970s. He systematically addresses five crucial points in each state′s welfare provision: policy ideology and welfare expenditure; income maintenance policies and outcomes; race and racial inequalities; women and family policies; and the health care system. In all four states, Ginsburg argues, social policy has contributed to a widening of gender, race, and class divisions. This lively and informative study of social policy in western industrialized societies will be essential reading for students of social policy, social administration, public administration, applied sociology, and political science. "Aimed at the student market, Ginsburg′s book provides a useful study of social provision in Britain, Sweden, the US and West Germany..." --Durrant′s

About this title

Review

`This book represents an important step forward in providing detailed and critical comparative analysis of four societies′ welfare states in terms of class, gender and race. It will be indispensable for social policy students′ - Fiona Williams, The Open University

`This book fills a huge need among teachers in social policy and comparative welfare states. With admirable clarity, Ginsburg manages to bring together a colossal amount of analysis and description of how the World′s major welfare states function, how their social programs are organized and how they affect inequality, poverty, minorities and women. The choice of comparing Britain, Germany, Sweden and the United States gives the reader a synoptic, yet thorough, overview of the main competing welfare state models. This is, simply, the perfect reader for higher-level undergraduate and graduate courses in sociology, social administration and political science′ - Gosta Esping-Andersen, European University Institute

`A distinguishing feature of Ginsburg′s book is its "critical" perspective which differs from social-democratic, Marxist and feminist perspectives yet owes something to all three. The four country studies are rich in empirical detail the "facts" always appear within a framework of interpretation. Well-organized and clearly written, Ginsburg′s book is a welcome addition to the literature of comparative social policy. I shall certainly recommend it to my students′ - Ramesh Mishra, York University

`Ginsburg to his credit never loses sight of the need to provide comparative information whilst adopting a country by country approach to policy description. Frequent comparisons are made between the four countries described in the book [Sweden, Germany, the United States and Britain], and the discussion always manages to remain uncluttered... provides a good introduction to some of the themes that will undoubtedly confront students and researchers in the not too distant future′ - Journal of Social Policy

`gives a thought-provoking introduction to what different kinds of welfare states look like, in terms of the underlying ideologies, the design of the various welfare programmes and differences in welfare outcomes. It is also written by a scholar who is very committed to his subject; it raises important questions and it makes suggestions as to where to find the answers′ - Journal of European Social Policy

`His emphasis on the social divisions (along the lines of ′race′, gender and class) which underly social policy is also a healthy corrective to the ′neutral′ language of policy-making, with its new stress on citizens, consumers and customers′ - Local Government Studies

Edition details

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0803984413
• ISBN 13: 9780803984417
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240