Social Policy in an Era of Competition : From Local to Global Perspectives

Welfare states globally have been subjected to reform agendas that have stressed economic competitiveness but how has global competition reshaped welfare states in practice?

Providing a new cross-national and international narrative this book captures the complexity of social policy reform process that have taken place over the past 25 years. Drawing on data relating to multiple countries the authors examine global, cross-national and local cases in order to shed light on the impact of international forces on social policy.

The book addresses major theoretical debates about the direction of welfare state reform processes across the OECD and beyond, offering empirically rooted analyses of change and new perspectives on the impact of global competition on social policy.

Dr Zoe Irving is a Senior Lecturer at the University of York and a member of the Executive Committee of the UK Social Policy Association. Published works surrounding Social Policy, gender employment and economic crises.

Lecturer in International Social Policy at the University of York.

Kate Brown is a Lecturer in Social Policy and Crime at the University of York. Her research explores supportive and regulatory processes for vulnerable and ‘troublesome’ groups, focussing especially on young people. She worked previously as a practitioner and manager in the voluntary sector and continues to be active in services for vulnerable women and children.

Peter Dwyer is Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at the University of York. His research and teaching focuses on social citizenship. He led the large ESRC funded Welfare Conditionality: Sanctions Support and Behaviour Change (2013-2019) project.

John Hudson is Professor of Social Policy at the University of York and Co-Director of the Centre for Research in Comparative and Global Social Policy (CRCG). His research and teaching spans three themes: The policy process; Comparative social policy analysis; and Government in the “information age”.