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This open access edited volume introduces the concept of causal mechanisms to explore new ways of explaining the global dynamics of social policy, and shows that a mechanism-based approach provides several advantages over established approaches for studying social policy.
The introductory chapter outlines the mechanism-based approach, which stands out by modularisation and a clear focus on actors. The mechanism-based approach then guides the twelve chapters on social policy developments in different Asian, African, European and Latin American countries. Based on these findings, the concluding chapter provides a structured compilation of causal mechanisms and outlines how a mechanism-based approach can further strengthen research on the global development of social policies, especially in a comparative perspective.
The edited volume is highly relevant for social policy scholars from a variety of disciplines, as well as for scholars interested in strengthening explanation in the social sciences.
List of contents
Part I. Introductory Section.- 1. Introduction: A Mechanism-Based Approach to Social Policy Research.- Part II. Causal Mechanisms and Social Policies in Asian Countries.- 2 The Introduction of Pension, Accident, and Health Insurance in Urban China.- 3. Causal Mechanisms in the Development of Contribution-Based Pension Systems in South Korea, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia.- 4. Causal Mechanisms in the Introduction and Development of Unemployment Insurance in Turkey.- 5. Causal Mechanisms in the Introduction of Mandatory Health Insurance in the Post-Soviet Region.- Part III Causal Mechanisms and Social Policies in African Countries.- 6. Appropriating the Colonial State: The Emergence of Social Insurance in Tunisia and Uganda.- 7 Policy Pollination as a Causal Mechanism Explaining Social Protection Adoption in Africa.- Part IV Causal Mechanisms and Social Policies in European Countries.- 8. Anti-communist Backlash in the Croatian Healthcare System.- 9. Against All Odds: Introducing Social Health Insurance in Albania. An Actor-Centred Approach to Causal Mechanisms.- 10. Migrants to the Rescue? Care Workforce Migrantisation on the Example of Elder Care in Germany.- Part V Causal Mechanisms and Social Policies in Latin American Countries.- 11. Transnational Events and National Health Reform: The Latin American Medical Congresses and the Legitimisation of Public Health Reforms in Chile and Uruguay in the Early Twentieth Century.- 12. The Politics of Universal Health Coverage: Mechanisms in the Process of Healthcare Reform in Bolivia.- 13. Political Responses of Conditional Income Transfer Recipients: A Mechanism Approach.- Part VI Concluding Section.- 14. Conclusion and Outlook: Towards a Systematisation of the Mechanism-Based Approach in Social Policy Research.
About the author
Johanna Kuhlmann is Postdoctoral Researcher at the SOCIUM Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy, University of Bremen, Germany.
Frank Nullmeier is Professor of Political Science at the SOCIUM Research Center on Inequality and Social, University of Bremen, Germany.
