Advanced Introduction to Social Policy

Daniel Béland, Rianne Mahon

• Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781783478026
• eBook ISBN: 9781783478040
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Social Policy
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.Advanced Introduction to Social Policy offers a concise overview of the field that takes newer realities into account, without rejecting the insights found in the traditional social policy canon. Daniel Béland and Rianne Mahon draw on both classic and contemporary theories to illuminate the broad processes that are putting pressure on existing social policy arrangements and raising new research questions. This enlightening book enriches social policy research by moving beyond the methodological nationalism that has traditionally marked the field to include the role of transnational actors.Key features include;• a concise yet advanced introduction to social policy research• a close examination of changing gender relations and the increasing salience of ethnic diversity• a focus on both the advanced industrial world and the growing importance of the Global South as a site of social policy innovation• a stress on the role of ideas in social policy• a global perspective on social policy that features systematic attention to transnational actors.In this lucid and accessible book, the authors offer a thorough overview of the field of social policy. This Advanced Introduction is essential reading for students, academics and policymakers alike.

Table of contents

• Front Matter
• Copyright
• Contents
• About the authors
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 Capitalism, citizenship and solidarity
• 2 Explaining social policy development—theoretical perspectives
• 3 Classifying countries—reconsidering welfare regimes
• 4 Taking ideas seriously in social policy
• 5 Social exclusion, new social risks and social investment
• 6 Changing gender norms, welfare regime forms
• 7 Social policy and the politics of diversity
• 8 Globalization and social policy
• Conclusion
• References
• Index