The Repoliticization of the Welfare State

McManus, Ian

doi:doi:10.3998/mpub.12140242

Ian P. McManus

Open Access

The Repoliticization of the Welfare State grapples with the evolving nature of political conflict over social spending after the Great Recession. While the severity of the economic crisis encouraged strong social spending responses to protect millions of individuals, governments have faced growing pressure to reduce budgets and make deep cuts to the welfare state. Whereas conservative parties have embraced fiscal discipline and welfare state cuts, left-wing parties have turned away from austerity in favor of higher social spending. These political differences represent a return of traditional left-right beliefs over social spending and economic governance.

This book is one of the first to systematically compare welfare state politics before and after the Great Recession, arguing that a new and lasting post-crisis dynamic has emerged where political parties once again matter for social spending. At the heart of this repoliticization are intense ideological debates over market regulation, social inequality, redistribution, and the role of the state. The book analyzes social spending dynamics for 28 countries before and after the crisis. It also includes in-depth country case studies representing five distinct welfare state types: Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, and the Czech Republic.

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Line chart showing GDP growth rates for EU and Eurozone countries over time. Shows double-dip recession in both sets of countries as a result of the global financial crisis.

EU Annual Growth Rates of Real GDP, Change Over Previous Year (2000-2019)

From Chapter 1

Figure 1. EU Annual Growth Rates of Real GDP, Change Over Previous Year (2000–2019) Source: OECD 2021

Line chart showing unemployment rates for EU and Eurozone countries. Unemployment was at a record low for both sets of countries right before the global financial crisis. This number increased over the course of the crisis, peaking in 2014.

EU Harmonized Unemployment Rate (2000-2019)

From Chapter 1

Figure 2. EU Harmonized Unemployment Rate (2000–2019) Source: OECD 2021

A bar chart overlaid with line charts showing that social spending increased across the OECD as GDP declined over the course of the global financial crisis.

Real social spending, real GDP, and social spending as a % of GDP (2007-2012)

From Chapter 1

Figure 3. Real Social Spending, Real GDP, and Social Spending as a % of GDP (2007–2012) Source: OECD 2012

Scatter plot with a line of best fit for twenty-six European countries showing a correlation between planned social spending cuts and an increased number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

Risk of poverty or social exclusion (2009) and planned changes in social spending, 2010–14 (percentages)

From Chapter 1

Figure 4. Risk of Poverty or Social Exclusion (2009) and Planned Changes in Social Spending, 2010–14 (Percentages) Source: Leschke and Jepsen 2012

Bar chart with an average line for welfare generosity scores for twenty-one OECD countries representing a variety of welfare states.

Welfare State Generosity Scores for 21 OECD Countries (1980-2007)

From Chapter 2

Figure 5. Welfare State Generosity Scores for 21 OECD Countries (1980–2007) * Greece data missing for the year 1980; Portugal data only available for years 1996 through 2007; Spain data only available for years 1983 through 2007; Switzerland data only available for years 1983 through 2007. Source: Comparative Welfare Entitlements Dataset (Scruggs, Detlef, and Kuitto 2014)

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The Repoliticization of the Welfare State

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EU Annual Growth Rates of Real GDP, Change Over Previous Year (2000-2019)

EU Harmonized Unemployment Rate (2000-2019)

Real social spending, real GDP, and social spending as a % of GDP (2007-2012)

Risk of poverty or social exclusion (2009) and planned changes in social spending, 2010–14 (percentages)

Welfare State Generosity Scores for 21 OECD Countries (1980-2007)

EU Total Government Social Spending as a % GDP (1990-2016)

Light-Right Support of Welfare State: Party Manifestos (2008)

Light-Right Support of Welfare State: Party Manifestos (2009)

Light-Right Support of Welfare State: Party Manifestos European Parliament Election 2014

The Repoliticization of the Welfare State

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