The Economics of the Welfare State

Since the first edition of this book in 1987, it has been widely recognized as a comprehensive and definitive text on the economics of the welfare state -- its efficiency, its fairness, and its relevance to the whole population, not just to the poor. Although written primarily for students of economics, a diverse readership, including students of social administration and public policy, has been kept in mind throughout. To this end, each of the technical chapters has an appendix which explains the results in nontechnical terms.

This latest edition includes information on several new topics, including pension policy, long-term disability and residential care insurance for older persons, and the impact of genetic screening on medical and life insurance. It describes new challenges to the welfare state, such as demographic changes, changes in family structure, the trend toward the feminization of poverty, and changes in the structure of jobs, as well as ongoing debates about the welfare state -- is it desirable, and if it is desirable, is it any longer feasible given demographic and other challenges?