The Heterogeneity Politics of the Welfare State: Changing Population Heterogeneity and Welfare State Policies in High-Income OECD Countries, 1980-2005

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Whether and how developments and changes in welfare state policies are related with population heterogeneity has been a subject of contention. This article examines this relationship using data on welfare state provisions and practices, and ethno-racial, religious, and immigration heterogeneity, from 17 high-income Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries between 1980 and 2005. Findings suggest that while religious diversity lacks a systematic association with welfare state policies, the relationship of ethno-racial and especially immigration diversity bifurcates between welfare state decommodification and expenditures. The welfare state expenditure-increasing and welfare-state-provision-decreasing roles of immigration, in particular, provide important insights into why welfare state policies may have been limited in some countries and lately scaled back in others.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)947-984
Number of pages38
JournalPolitics and Policy
Volume41
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Ethno-Racial Diversity
  • Immigration Diversity
  • International Comparative Policy
  • Mixed Model
  • OECD
  • Population Heterogeneity
  • Social Expenditures
  • Welfare and Social Policy
  • Welfare State

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Political Science and International Relations

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Heterogeneity Politics of the Welfare State: Changing Population Heterogeneity and Welfare State Policies in High-Income OECD Countries, 1980-2005'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this