Title: Obfuscating Retrenchment: Swedish Welfare Policy in the 1990s
Abstract: Cutbacks in thirteen Swedish transfer programmes are analysed to evaluate the argument that explaining welfare retrenchment is a different enterprise from explaining welfare expansion. The conclusion is that the ‘New politics of welfare’ is of major importance in the Swedish context, not only in the Anglo-Saxon context that Paul Pierson studied. Programmes relatively susceptible to non-transparent reforms have suffered larger cutbacks than other programs. Non-indexed programmes present opportunities for cutbacks by non-decision and are particularly vulnerable to obfuscation. Hence we have a politics of blame-avoidance rather than one of credit-claiming. Pensions are among the least targeted for cuts because pensioners’ organisations that emerged as the welfare state matured have gained influence at the cost of unions.
Publication Year: 2007
Publication Date: 2007-05-17
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 74
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot