This book radically revises established knowledge in comparative welfare state studies and introduces a new perspective on how religion shaped modern social protection systems. The interplay of societal cleavage structures and electoral rules produced the different political class coalitions sustaining the three welfare regimes of the Western world. In countries with proportional electoral systems the absence or presence of state-church conflicts decided whether class remained the dominant source of coalition building or whether a political logic not exclusively based on socio-economic interests (e.g. religion) was introduced into politics, particularly social policy. The political class-coalitions in countries with majoritarian systems, on the other hand, allowed only for the residual-liberal welfare state to emerge, as in the US or the UK. This book also reconsiders the role of Protestantism. Reformed Protestantism substantially delayed and restricted modern social policy. The Lutheran state churches positively contributed to the introduction of social protection programs.
Author(s): Kees van Kersbergen, Philip Manow
Series: Cambridge Studies in Social Theory, Religion and Politics
Edition: 1
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 318
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 4
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Preface......Page 9
List of Contributors......Page 13
1.1 Introduction......Page 17
1.2 Protestantism, secularization, and the welfare state......Page 21
1.3 Party political correlates of the countermovement......Page 30
1.4 Contributions to the volume......Page 44
1.5 Outlook......Page 48
References......Page 51
2 Western European Party Systems and the Religious Cleavage......Page 55
References......Page 69
3 The Religious Foundations of Work-Family Policies in Western Europe......Page 72
3.1 Explaining patterns of work-family policy......Page 74
3.2.1 Church–State Fusion and Religious Homogeneity in the Nordic Countries......Page 81
3.2.2 Clerical-Anticlerical Divisions in Belgium, France, and Italy......Page 84
3.2.3 Accommodation of Religious Forces in Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands......Page 89
3.3.1 Welfare State Expansion: 1945-1975......Page 93
3.3.2 The Enduring Power of Early Policy Choices......Page 98
3.4 conclusion......Page 100
References......Page 101
4 Italy: A Christian Democratic or Clientelist Welfare State?......Page 107
4.1 Christian democratic isomorphism of the italian welfare state......Page 110
4.1.1 Secular Roots of Stratification and Occupational Fragmentation......Page 113
4.1.2 Laissez-Faire Roots of Passive Social Assistance Measures......Page 117
4.2 Clientelism and the maintenance of Occupationalism after world war ii......Page 120
4.2.1 Particularism, Taxation, and the Failure of Universalism......Page 122
4.2.2 Pension System as a By-Product of Clientelism......Page 124
4.3 postwar policy drift and the creation of a familialist welfare state......Page 127
4.4 conclusion......Page 130
References......Page 131
5.1 Introduction......Page 135
5.2 Cleavage structure, pillarization, and late social policy development......Page 137
5.3 Cross-cleavage and cross-pillar coalitions and the postwar expansion of the welfare state......Page 145
5.4 Conclusion......Page 157
References......Page 158
6.1 Introduction......Page 162
6.2 Consolidating the nation through the 'laicisation de la protection sociale’......Page 165
6.3 Christian democracy and the french postwar welfare state......Page 174
6.4 Conclusion......Page 185
References......Page 187
7.1 Introduction......Page 192
7.2 Religion and state building......Page 195
7.3 Institutional repercussions: actor constellations, power resources, and coalition building......Page 199
7.3.2 Fragmented Interest Formation and Power Resources......Page 200
7.3.3 Political Strategies and Values: Anticentralism and Antietatism......Page 206
7.3.4 Direct Democracy......Page 208
7.4 Welfare state consolidation, 1874–1945......Page 209
7.4.1 A Success Story: Labor Protection......Page 210
7.4.2 From Liability Legislation to Health and Accident Insurance......Page 211
7.4.3 Income Support for the Unemployed......Page 214
7.4.4 Old Age Pensions: The Defeat of the Lex Schulthess......Page 216
7.4.5 Family Policy: A Catholic Domain......Page 219
7.5 conclusion......Page 220
References......Page 222
8.1 Introduction......Page 226
8.2 Politics and religion during the formative period of the swedish welfare state......Page 230
8.2.1 The Church of Sweden and Social Policy before 1900......Page 235
8.2.2 Early Social Insurance 1880s-1900......Page 241
8.3 Social democrats, liberals, and agrarian competition in social policy: 1900–1932......Page 243
8.4.1 Liberal Intellectuals......Page 244
8.4.2 Social Democrats, the Church of Sweden, and Early Social Policy Ideas......Page 245
8.5 Discussion and conclusion......Page 247
References......Page 250
9 The Religious Factor in U.S. Welfare State Politics......Page 252
9.1 Religion in political movements and party affiliation......Page 254
9.2 Religion and social welfare......Page 256
9.3 The new right–evangelical alliance......Page 259
9.4.1 Banning Medicaid Funding of Abortion......Page 261
9.4.2 The Christian Conservative Movement in the Republican Party......Page 264
9.4.3 Abortion Politics and Health Security......Page 268
9.4.4 Reform of Aid to Families with Dependent Children......Page 271
9.4.5 Faith-Based Social Services......Page 275
9.4.6 Christian Conservatives and Social Security Privatization......Page 276
9.5 Conclusion......Page 278
References......Page 279
10 Religious Doctrines and Poor Relief: A Different Causal Pathway......Page 283
10.1 Lutheran, calvinist, and catholic poor relief......Page 285
10.1.1 Lutheranism: All Should Eat, All Should Work......Page 287
10.1.2 Calvinism: Work for Your Own Bread......Page 290
10.1.3 Catholicism: Feed the Poor......Page 295
10.2 Timing and principles of social assistance......Page 298
10.3 The churches as political actors......Page 300
10.4 Conclusion......Page 305
References......Page 306
Index......Page 313
