Policy feedback and support for the welfare state

How does the structure of social policy institutions shape the level of public support for the welfare state? The policy feedback literature predicts that highly inclusive welfare institutions generate larger bases of public support by shifting the focus away from redistribution and toward common ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of European social policy 2013-05, Vol.23 (2), p.134-148
Main Author: Jordan, Jason
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Capitalism
Common markets
Conflicts of interest
Data analysis
Employment policies
Feedback
Health care
Health care policy
Health services
Pensions
Public opinion
Redistribution
Single market
Social policy
Social programs
Unemployment
Universalism
Welfare
Welfare state
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Summary:How does the structure of social policy institutions shape the level of public support for the welfare state? The policy feedback literature predicts that highly inclusive welfare institutions generate larger bases of public support by shifting the focus away from redistribution and toward common market insecurities felt across classes, while more selective strategies erode support by highlighting the conflicts of interest imbedded in clearly redistributive social programs. This paper expands on existing research by adopting a disaggregated approach to measuring both welfare state structure and public support, uncovering important cross-program variations in public attitudes and welfare state design masked by traditional measures of universality and public support. This project applies this method to public opinion data in 17 advanced capitalist democracies across three policy areas: healthcare, pensions, and unemployment. The findings offer evidence of policy feedback effects.
ISSN:0958-9287
1461-7269
DOI:10.1177/0958928712471224