Dismantling the welfare state? : Reagan, Thatcher, and the politics of retrenchment
This book examines the politics of social policy in an era of austerity and conservative governance. Focusing on the administrations of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, Pierson provides a compelling explanation for the welfare state's durability and for the few occasions where each government was able to achieve significant cutbacks.
Print Book, English, 1995, ©1994
1st pbk. ed View all formats and editions
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, 1995, ©1994
viii, 213 pages ; 23 cm
9780521555708, 9780521403825, 0521555701, 0521403820
35595238
Introduction: Conservatives and the Welfare State; Part I. Analytical Foundations: 1. The logic of retrenchment; 2. The context for retrenchment politics; Part II. The Politics of Programmatic Retrenchment: 3. Retrenchment in a core sector: old age pensions; 4. Retrenchment in a vulnerable sector: housing; 5. Retrenchment in a residualized sector: income support; Part III. The Embattled Welfare State: 6. Reagan, Thatcher and the welfare state; 7. Social policy in an era of austerity.