Read more
One would expect a welfare state such as Sweden to compare favorably with the United States regarding implementation of public policies and programs. Surprisingly, the author comes to quite different conclusions: in studying the treatment of battered, raped and sexually-harassed women in the two countries, she has found that, contrary to conventional expectation, the ability of the decentralized American state to innovate effectively has been consistently underestimated, whereas Sweden's ability to do the same has often been exaggerated.
List of contents
Chapter 1. The Analytic Context: Gender Specification and State Structures
Chapter 2. The ComparativeContext: States, Structures and Movements
Chapter 3. The States and Women Battering
Chapter 4. The States and Rape
Chapter 5. The States and Sexual Harassment
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
About the author
R. Amy Elman is Assistant Professor of Political Science, Kalamazoo College, Michigan.
Summary
One would expect a welfare state such as Sweden to compare favorably with the United States regarding implementation of public policies and programs. Surprisingly, the author comes to quite different conclusions: in studying the treatment of battered, raped and sexually-harassed women in the two countries, she has found that, contrary to conventional expectation, the ability of the decentralized American state to innovate effectively has been consistently underestimated, whereas Sweden's ability to do the same has often been exaggerated.
Additional text
"Elman's analysis reveals a surprising conclusion about policy innovation and responsiveness." · Journal of Women's History