The Generational Welfare Contract

Reviews / Votes

'Adopting a life course perspective, this book is the first ever to systematically analyse the degree of generational balance in nations' social policies. This is a fundamental issue, not only from a social justice perspective, but also for the political legitimacy and long-term sustainability of a welfare state. The Generational Welfare Contract is arguably the single most important welfare state study in our times. And it is one of those rare groundbreaking contributions that is destined to (re-)define social policy research for many years to come.' -- Gosta Esping-Andersen, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain `The Generational Welfare Contract provides an innovative conceptualization of social policy that is extremely well suited to the study of individual life courses and demographic change.' -- Elizabeth Thomson, Stockholm University, Sweden and University of Wisconsin-Madison, US 'This deeply insightful book blends perspectives from political philosophy and comparative social policy to generate theoretical insights on generational justice to guide a nuanced empirical analysis of 18 economically developed OECD countries. It demonstrates the significance of the generational welfare contract, reflected in welfare state institutional structures, as a mediating factor linking demographic, socio-economic and political drivers with outcomes. Importantly, it incorporates a generational justice focus in welfare state analysis without downplaying other factors including social class and gender.' -- Julia O'Connor, Ulster University, UK