Synopses & Reviews
All advanced democracies have faced the pressures of globalization,
technological change, and new family forms, which have generated higher
levels of inequality in market incomes. But countries have responded
differently, reflecting differences in their domestic politics. The
politics of who gets what and why is at the core of this volume, the
first to examine this question in an explicitly Canadian context.
In Inequality and the Fading of Redistributive Politics,
leading political scientists, sociologists, and economists point to the
failure of public policy to contain surging income inequality.
Government programs are no longer offsetting the growth in inequality
generated by the market, and Canadian society has become more unequal.
The redistributive state is fading due to powerful forces that have
reshaped the politics of social policy, including global economic
pressures, ideological change, shifts in the influence of business and
labour, changes in the party system, and the decline of
equality-seeking civil society organizations.
On one side, the organizations that speak for the economic interests
of lower-income Canadians - mobilizing resources, expertise, and
attention on their behalf - have been weakened. On the other
side, changes in the distribution of power within our political
institutions have made concerted action to tackle inequality more
difficult.
This volume demonstrates conclusively that action and inaction --
policy change and policy drift -- are at the heart of growing
inequality in Canada. Governments have not responded energetically to
the evidence and their indifference calls into question Canada's
record as a kinder, gentler nation.
Keith Banting is a professor in the School of
Policy Studies and the Department of Political Studies at Queen's
University and holds the Queen's Research Chair in Public
Policy. John Myles is a professor emeritus of
sociology and currently senior fellow in the School of Public Policy
and Governance at the University of Toronto.
Contributors: Robert Andersen, Robin Boadway,
Gerard W. Boychuk, William D. Coleman, Katherine Cuff, Josh Curtis,
David A. Good, David A. Green, Rodney Haddow, Jane Jenson, Richard
Johnston, Edward Koning, Rianne Mahon, Alain Noël, Susan D. Phillips,
Stuart Soroka, James Townsend, Carolyn Hughes Tuohy
Review
The end of egalitarianism? Canada, like Sweden, has experienced the ill effects of a sudden and sharp inegalitarian thrust and a decline in redistribution. This volume delivers a comprehensive diagnosis of what is happening in Canada, but also speaks to the world at large. Readers who hope to identify
the smoking gun may be disappointed; but those who wish to understand the true complexities will be amply rewarded by this impressive book.
- Gøsta Esping-Andersen, author of The Incomplete Revolution: Adapting Welfare States to Women's New Roles
Review
The evidence is convincing: inequality has increased in Canada at the same time the welfare state is losing its moorings. This book traces how this has come about and what the impact of this fading social protection will have on specific policy domains and social risks, and more generally on the fabric of Canadian society. It is a cautionary tale of one country's journey from the promise of a redistributive state to the perils of inequality.
- Antonia Maioni, author of Parting at the Crossroads: The Emergence of Health Insurance in the United States and Canada
Synopsis
The redistributive state is fading in Canada. Government programs are
no longer offsetting the growth in inequality generated by the market.
In this book, leading political scientists, sociologists, and
economists point to the failure of public policy to contain surging
income inequality. A complex mix of forces has reshaped the politics of
social policy, including global economic pressures, ideological change,
shifts in the influence of business and labour, changes in the party
system, and the decline of equality-seeking civil society
organizations. This volume demonstrates that action and inaction
- policy change and policy drift - are at the heart of
growing inequality in Canada.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction: Inequality and the Fading of Redistributive Politics
/ Keith Banting and John Myles
Part 1: Politics
2 Historical Transformations of Canada's Social Architecture:
Institutions, Instruments, and Ideas / Jane Jenson
3 Drivers of Increasing Market Income Inequality: Structural Change
and Policy / David A. Green and James Townsend
4 Business, Labour, and Redistributive Politics / William D.
Coleman
5 Restructuring Civil Society: Muting the Politics of Redistribution
/ Susan D. Phillips
6 Public Opinion on Social Spending, 1980-2005 / Robert Andersen
and Josh Curtis
7 Multicultural Diversity and Redistribution / Keith Banting,
Stuart Soroka, and Edward Koning
8 The Party System, Elections, and Social Policy / Richard
Johnston
9 The New Bureaucratic Politics of Redistribution / David A.
Good
10 Territorial Politics and the New Politics of Redistribution /
Gerard W. Boychuk
11 Quebec's New Politics of Redistribution / Alain
Noël
Part 2: Policy
12 Health Care Policy after Universality: Canada in Comparative
Perspective / Carolyn Hughes Tuohy
13 Income Security for Seniors: System Maintenance and Policy Drift
/ John Myles
14 The Recent Evolution of Tax-Transfer Policies / Robin Boadway
and Katherine Cuff
15 Childcare, New Social Risks, and the New Politics of
Redistribution in Ontario / Rianne Mahon
16 Labour Market Income Transfers and Redistribution: National
Themes and Provincial Variations / Rodney Haddow
Part 3: Conclusion
17 Canadian Social Futures: Concluding Reflections / Keith
Banting and John Myles
Index