Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
This interdisciplinary analysis casts new light on the construction of social policy in Europe. Within the contexts of three important traditions--social democracy, Christian democracy and liberalism--it traces the protagonists and beliefs that influenced social change. It is an accessible and illuminating guide to the achievements and legacies of welfare state progress since the Industrial Revolution.
Synopsis
The development of social policy in Europe is explored in this accessible intellectual history and analysis of the welfare state. From the Industrial Revolution onwards, the book identifies three important concepts behind efforts to address social concerns in Europe: social democracy, Christian democracy and liberalism. With guides to the political and ideological protagonists and the beliefs and values that lie behind reforms, it traces the progress and legacies of each of the three traditions. For academics and students across social policy and the political economy, this is an illuminating new perspective on the welfare state through the last two centuries.