The Path-dependency of an Idea: Why Scandinavian Welfare States Remain Distinct

Examining reforms that have taken place in the 1990s, this article explores the hypothesis that the most distinctive characteristic of the Scandinavian model today is the “stickiness” of its reputation, rather than the institutions and policies that make up the model. Borrowing the concept of path‐d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social policy & administration 2004-04, Vol.38 (2), p.204-219
Main Author: Cox, Robert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Dependency theory
Institutions
Path-dependency
Policy studies
Public administration
Scandinavia
Scandinavian model
Social policy
Social reform
Welfare Policy
Welfare Reform
Welfare State
Welfare state reform
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Summary:Examining reforms that have taken place in the 1990s, this article explores the hypothesis that the most distinctive characteristic of the Scandinavian model today is the “stickiness” of its reputation, rather than the institutions and policies that make up the model. Borrowing the concept of path‐dependency from institutional analysis, the article argues that because there is a strong commitment to the idea of a Scandinavian model, there is a tendency to expand conceptions of the model so that policy changes appear to be consistent with it.
ISSN:0144-5596
1467-9515
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9515.2004.00386.x