Welfare, social policies, and redistribution models

The chapter analyses how the core pillars of the welfare state have changed over time. It adopts a comparative perspective, looking at different countries that belong to various welfare state clusters and development paths. In particular, pension policies, healthcare, and family policies are taken into consideration and compared over four decades in eight countries: the US, the UK, Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, and Spain. The chapter attempts to compare changes within each policy field and among different welfare state clusters, also looking at the role of several actors and institutions in shaping the trajectory of change. It also assesses to what extent a process of convergence has taken place over time.