Full Description
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.
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.
