Introduction: what is political economy and social policy?

摘要: In considering the need for a Handbook on the Political Economy of Social Policy, we acknowledge two key realities. The first is that (Comparative) Political Economy literature has for a long time had a critical role in shaping the development of Social Policy. As we explore in more detail in Section 2.2., Esping-Andersen’s seminal The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism (1990) emerges in the context of the revival of the Political Economy approach in the study emergence/development of welfare state–prompted by the works of Rimlinger (1971), James O’Connor (1974), Ian Gough (1979) or Walter Korpi (1978). These works have shaped a line of research focused on mapping the distinct models of welfare provision and understanding the factors that underpin their emergence and shape their development. The influence of ideas and methodological approaches stemming from Political Economy is also evident in the …