Old Age Security in Comparative Perspective

John B. Williamson, Fred C. Pampel

ISBN 10: 0195068599 / ISBN 13: 9780195068597

Published by Oxford University Press Inc, US, 1993

About this Item

This book examines a central element of social welfare, old age security, exploring the history of policies in both developed and underdeveloped countries to assess their structure, ideology and effectiveness. The authors test five theoretical perspectives on old-age security policy in four industrial nations (the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany) and three developing countries (India, Nigeria, Brazil), challenging the view that old age policy is the outcome of class conflict between capital and labour. Instead, the authors adopt a neo-pluralist perspective which emphasizes the influence of ethnic religious and regional groups, as well as "the grey lobby", over that of class-based groups. The authors attempt to test ideas derived in part from these historical case studies by analysing quantitative data from a broader sample of countries (18 industrial nationa and 32 developing nations), and they use these results to anticipate future policy developments in the U.S.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780195068597

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Old Age Security in Comparative Perspective
• Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc, US
• Publication Date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195068599
• ISBN 13: 9780195068597
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 644 grams

About this title

Synopsis

This work makes extensive use of seven well-developed historical case studies describing the evolution of public old-age security in industrial nations (Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, and the United States) and developing nations (Brazil, Nigeria, and India). The authors focus on specifying contexts in which general theoretical perspectives can be used to account for these developments. One of the few studies which integrates historical and quantitative data, this accessible work will prove helpful to students and researchers of the welfare state, aging policy, and comparative sociology.

About the Author

John B. Williamson is at Boston College. Fred C. Pampel is at University of Colorado, Boulder.