The Emergence of the Welfare States

This comprehensive and comparative work traces the development of the welfare state in the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Sweden. Ashford reexamines the evolution of welfare policies and institutions, analyzing the astonishing transformation of the concept of democratic government. The pattern of democracy in each country and their social and institutional organizations are seen as the determining factors in both the policies that were adopted and in the means by which they were implemented. By defining the state institutionally, Ashford demonstrates the important role played by the resources, methods and capabilities found in each political system in the exercise of authority.