Which political forces are responsible for retrenchment in social services in social democratic welfare states?

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Question
• Theory
  • New Institutionalism
  • Historical Institutionalism
  • Path Dependency
  • Theories of Retrenchment
• Hypothesis
  • Definitions
  • Dependent Variable
  • Independent Variable
• Operatialization
  • Indicators
  • Validity
  • Reliability
  • Research design
• Empirical analysis
  • The reforms in the 1990s
  • Reforms of the market-liberal coalition
  • Reaction of the SAP
• Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper examines the political forces behind retrenchment in social services within social democratic welfare states. It aims to explore how these cuts are realized on a political level, focusing on the influence of specific groups and parties. The paper delves into the specific context of the Swedish welfare state in the 1990s.

• Political forces driving retrenchment in social democratic welfare states.
• The role of political parties and social movements in shaping retrenchment policies.
• The impact of path dependency and feedback mechanisms on welfare state reforms.
• The interplay between historical institutionalism and the concept of path dependency in analyzing retrenchment politics.
• A case study of the Swedish welfare state during the 1990s.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Introduction: This chapter introduces the context of welfare state research, particularly focusing on the social democratic model and its criticisms. It highlights the growing significance of retrenchment as a topic in welfare state studies, outlining various explanations for the crisis of the welfare state.
• Question: This chapter clarifies the research question: which political forces are responsible for retrenchment in social services within social democratic welfare states? It emphasizes the focus on the political processes of retrenchment rather than its causes.
• Theory: This chapter introduces the theoretical framework of historical institutionalism, emphasizing its focus on how institutions structure and mediate conflicts between collective actors. It also explores the various perspectives within the new institutionalism, including rational choice institutionalism and sociological institutionalism.
• Hypothesis: This chapter defines the key terms and variables used in the research, including the dependent variable (retrenchment in social services) and the independent variable (political forces).
• Operatialization: This chapter details the operationalization of the key variables, including indicators, validity, reliability, and research design. It outlines the specific data and methods used in the empirical analysis.
• Empirical analysis: This chapter presents the empirical analysis of the Swedish welfare state reforms in the 1990s. It focuses on the reforms implemented by the market-liberal coalition and the reactions of the Social Democratic Party (SAP).

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This study focuses on key concepts such as retrenchment, welfare state, social democratic model, path dependency, historical institutionalism, political forces, political parties, and social movements. It examines the interplay between these concepts in understanding the dynamics of retrenchment policies, particularly within the context of the Swedish welfare state.