Coming Together or Drifting Apart? Income Maintenance in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Issue 2 (April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pierson, Chris; Humpage, Louise
• Is Part Of: Politics & policy. Volume 44:Issue 2(2016:Apr.)
• Page Start: 261
• Page End: 293
• Publication Date: 2016-04
• Subjects: Welfare and Social Policy -- Income Maintenance -- Welfare‐to‐Work -- Policy Convergence -- Australia -- New Zealand -- United Kingdom -- Great Britain -- International Comparative Policy -- Child Support -- Pensions -- Austerity Policy -- Global Financial Crisis -- Policy Response -- Globalization and Welfare State; Political science -- Periodicals; World politics -- 21st century -- Periodicals; 320
• DOI: 10.1111/polp.12150
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1555-5623

Abstract

Abstract : There is a long‐standing debate in the comparative welfare state literature as to whether social policy regimes come to look more alike over time ("converge") or else retain their distinctiveness. In this article, we explore this question through a detailed interrogation of the social policy record since 1996 of three states widely classified as "liberal:" Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Overall, we find that the social/economic pressures faced by all three countries are more similar now than they were two decades ago and that each has sought to legitimize its policy response to the global financial crisis (GFC) in similar ways. In terms of the three policy areas we explore, we find convergence is much more substantial in "welfare‐to‐work" than in either child‐contingent support or pensions. But we also find that any straightforward convergence story is unsustainable, despite the GFC and accelerating globalization, and partisan effects remain important. Related Articles: Angelaki, Marina, andCarrera, Leandro N. 2015 . "Radical Pension Reforms after the Crisis: A Comparative Analysis of Argentina and Greece ."Politics & Policy 43 (3 ):378 ‐400 .http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12117/abstract Wagle, Udaya R. 2014 . "The Heterogeneity Politics of the Welfare State: Changing Population Heterogeneity and Welfare State Policies in High‐Income OECD Countries, 1980‐2005 ."Politics & Policy 41 (6 ):947 ‐984 .http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12053/abstract König, Pascal D. 2015 . "Moral Societal Renewal or Getting the Country Back to Work: Welfare State Culture as a Resource and a Constraint for Policy Discourse ."Policy & Politics 43 (5 ):647 ‐678 .http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12130/abstract Related Media: Blyth, Mark. 2010 . Mark Blyth on Austerity. YouTube .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go2bVGi0ReE Television New Zealand .2011 . British MP Advocates Welfare. YouTube .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuH4IsYqxGI