Review of The Study of Well-being, Social Policy and the Welfare State: A Review Essay

Abstract

Reviews the book, The Oxford Handbook of the Welfare State edited by Francis G. Castles, Stephan Leibfried, Jane Lewis, Herbert Obinger, and Christopher Pierson (2010). To organize the phenomena they study and to better comprehend and interpret the world, social scientists frequently employ quasi-paradigmatic frameworks reflected in the use of terms such as "globalization" "development," "human rights" and "the welfare state." These and other constructs have been widely adopted not only in academia but in media, political and popular circles as well, and they have often been a focal point for vigorous debates. This is certainly true of the welfare state, which is used both as a noble ideal and a term of derision. In the academic world, the term generally has a favorable connotation and is associated with a sizable body of explanatory and normative theory that addresses the way statutory policies and programs have contributed to social well-being over the years. It has also generated a significant amount of comparative inquiry that has been facilitated by the construction of numerous typological representations of the welfare systems of different countries. The book perpetuates a shared implicit understanding of its meta-theoretical assumptions and serves as a sort of in-house repository of the factual information, theories and normative beliefs with which those working in the field will already be familiar. Those who approach the study of well-being from different intellectual, as well as normative, perspectives are less likely to find it useful except, of course, in that it offers an authoritative exposition of the state-of-the-art of welfare state scholarship. Nevertheless, there is much in this collection of value. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)