Public and Private Welfare in Modern Europe: Productive Entanglements

Neoliberals have contested the idea that the state should protect the socio-economic well-being of its citizens, but welfare has always been a 'mixed economy' where private and public actors dynamically interacted. This book develops three innovative approaches to understanding the productive nature of public/private entanglements, departing from a tradition of comparison between Western nation-states, and bringing back a host of public and private actors.

Format: Hardback
Length: 214 pages
Publication date: 29 March 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Since the 1980s, neoliberals have fiercely challenged the notion that the state should prioritize the socio-economic welfare of its citizens, embracing privatization as their guiding principle. However, as historians and social scientists have astutely demonstrated, welfare has always been a complex and multifaceted ecosystem, characterized by dynamic interactions between private and public actors. This book offers a groundbreaking exploration, presenting three innovative approaches. Firstly, it sheds light on the productive nature of public-private entanglements, revealing that these interactions are far from a zero-sum game. Over time, these interactions have reshaped the scope, content, and targets of welfare, leading to the emergence of new fields of intervention. Secondly, this book departs from the traditional comparative analysis of Western nation-states, employing a diverse range of analytical scales (local, national, international, and global) and encompassing case studies from Spain to Poland, France to Greece, spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Thirdly, this book transcends state centrism in welfare studies by reintroducing a multitude of public and private actors, ranging from municipalities to international organizations, from older charities to modern NGOs. By delving into these multifaceted dynamics, this book provides valuable insights for students, scholars, and practitioners in the field of welfare, offering a comprehensive and interdisciplinary perspective on the evolving landscape of social protection.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032232324