Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Lesson-Drawing in Family Policy: Media Reports and Empirical Evidence about European Developments

  • Published:
Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis

Abstract

Since 1980, the U.S. press has painted a vivid picture of widespread welfare state dismantling in Europe. Yet our analysis of social expenditures in 14 European countries from 1980–1995 finds a pattern of resilience and, with respect to family benefits, a pattern of expansion. Our review of qualitative research on policy reforms upholds the expenditure-based findings. We conclude that U.S. media misrepresentation of social welfare developments in Europe is likely to impede “lesson-drawing” from abroad by U.S. policymakers. This constitutes a lost opportunity, as the U.S. is now engaged in social policy reformulation, especially with respect to programs for families.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ackerman, Seth. (1999). “Supply-Side Journalism: An All-American Prescription for German Unemployment.” Harper's Magazine, November, 66–67.

  • Andrews, Edmund. (1999). “Sweden, The Welfare State, Basks in a New Prosperity.” New York Times, October 8, A1, C4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Associated Press. (1990). “Sweden Slashes its Welfare State.” Associated Press, October 26.

  • Baumgartner, Frank R. and Bryan D. Jones. (1993). Agendas and Instability in American Politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertola, Giuseppe and Andrea Ichino. (1995). “Crossing the River: A Comparative Perspective on Italian Employment Dynamics.” Economic Policy, October.

  • Blanchard, Olivier. (1991). “European Unemployment: The Role of Shocks and Institutions.” Downloaded from: http://www.mit.edu/blanchar/www/articles.html.

  • Blanchard, Olivier and Justin Wolfers. (1999). “The Role of Shocks and Institutions in the Rise of European Unemployment: The Aggregate Evidence.” Downloaded from: http://www.mit.edu/blanchar/www/articles.html.

  • Blank, Rebecca and Richard Freeman. (1994). “Evaluating the Connection Between Social Protection and Economic Flexibility.” In Rebecca Blank (ed.), Social Protection and Economic Flexibility: Is There a Trade-off? Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Business Week. (1995). “Adieu, Welfare State?” Business Week, November 27, 60.

  • Business Week. (1983). “A Risky Operation on the Bloated Welfare State.” Business Week, October 17, 56.

  • Buti, M., D. Franco, and L.R. Pench. (1997). Reconciling the Welfare State with Sound Public Finances and High Employment. Brussels: European Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • Central Statistics Office, Ireland. (1999). Population and Migration Statistics: Fact Sheet. (http://www.cso.ei).

  • Christian Science Monitor. (1982). “Recession Rocks Western Europe's Welfare States.” Christian Science Monitor, November 23, 1.

  • Christian Science Monitor. (1980). “Europe Reexamines Social Welfare Costs as Economies Slow Down.” Christian Science Monitor, December 26, 14.

  • Clayton, Richard and Jonas Pontusson. (1997). “Welfare State Retrenchment and Public Sector Restructuring in Advanced Capitalist Societies.” Paper presented at “Revisioning the Social Welfare State: Feminist Perspectives on the U.S. and Europe.” Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, October 4.

  • Daly, Mary. (1997). “Welfare States Under Pressure: Cash Benefits in European Welfare States Over the Last Ten years.” Journal of European Social Policy 7(2), 129–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • deLeon, Peter and Phyllis Resnick-Terry. (1998). “Comparative Policy Analysis: Déj à Vu All Over Again?” Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice 1(1), 9–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, John. (1998). “Comparative Social Security: The Challenge of Evaluation.” Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice 1(1), 61–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dolowitz, David and David Marsh. (1996). “Who Learns What from Whom: a Review of the Policy Transfer Literature.” Political Studies XLIV, 343–357.

    Google Scholar 

  • Economist. (1999). “Economic Indicators.” The Economist, July 24, 98.

  • Elison, Sonja Klueck. (1997). “Policy Innovation in a Cold Climate: The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.” Journal of Family Issues 18(1), 30–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Esping-Andersen, Gøsta. (1996). “After the Golden Age: Welfare State Dilemma in a Global Economy.” In Gøsta Esping-Andersen (ed.),Welfare States in Transition: National Adaptations in Global Economies. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (1998). Care in Europe. A Joint Report of the “Gender and Employment” and the “Gender and Law” Groups of Experts. Brussels: European Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gauthier, Anne. (1999). “Historical Trends in State Support for Families in Europe (Post-1945).” Children and Youth Services Review 21(11/12), 937–965.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gauthier, Anne Helene. (1996). The State and the Family: A Comparative Analysis of Family Politics in Industrialized Countries. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, Neil. (1987). “How to Rate A Social Welfare System.” Wall Street Journal, January 13.

  • Gornick, Janet C., Marcia K. Meyers, and Katherin E. Ross. (1997). “Supporting the Employment of Mothers: Policy Variation Across Fourteen Welfare States.” Journal of European Social Policy 7(1), 45–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gornick, Janet C., Marcia K. Meyers, and Katherin E. Ross. (1998). “Public Policies and the Employment of Mothers: A Cross-National Study.” Social Science Quarterly 79(1), 35–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heikkilä, Matti, Bjørn Hvinden, Mikko Kautto, Staffan Marklund, and Niels Ploug. (1999). “The Nordic Model Stands Stable but on Shaky Ground.” In Mikko Kautto, Matti Heikkilä, Bjørn Hvinden, Staffan Marklund, and Niels Ploug (eds.), Nordic Social Policy: ChangingWelfare States. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huber, Evelyn and John Stephens. (1999). “Welfare State and Production Regimes in the Era of Retrenchment.” School of Social Science Occasional Paper 1. Princeton, NJ: Institute for Advanced Study.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalisch, David, et al. (1998). “Social and Health Policies in OECD Countries: A Survey of Current Programmes and Recent Developments.” Labor Market and Social Policy Occasional Papers No. 33. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Directorate for Education, Employment, Labour and Social Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamerman, Sheila and Alfred Kahn. (1999). Child and Family Policy in an Era of Social Policy Retrenchment and Restructuring. Paper prepared for presentation at the Luxembourg Income Study “Conference on Child Well-Being in Rich and Transition Countries,” September 30-October 2, 1999, Luxembourg.

  • Kamerman, Sheila and Alfred Kahn. (1997). “Investing in Children: Government Expenditures for Children and their Families in Western Industrialized Countries.” In Giovanni Andrea Cornia and Sheldon Danziger (eds.), Child Poverty and Deprivation in the Industrialized Countries, 1945–1995. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamerman, Sheila and Alfred Kahn. (1991a). “Government Expenditures for Children and Their Families in Advanced Industrialized Countries, 1960–1985.” UNICEF Innocenti Occasional Papers. Economic Policy Series, Number 20, Florence, Italy.

  • Kamerman, Sheila and Alfred Kahn. (1991b). Child Care, Parental Leave, and the Under 3s: Policy Innovation in Europe. New York: Auburn House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karger, Jacob. (1991). “The Radical Right andWelfare State Reform in the United States.” In Howard Glennerster and James Midgley (eds.), The Radical Right and the Welfare State: An International Assessment. Savage, MD: Barnes and Noble Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krugman, Paul. (1999). “Who Knew? The Swedish Model is Working: The Vindication of Scandinomics?” Fortune, October 25, 48.

  • Los Angeles Times. (1992). “A Safety Net Snags on its Costs.” Los Angeles Times, April 21, A1.

  • MacRae, Duncan. (1998). “Cross-National Perspectives for Aiding Policy Choice.” Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice 1(1), 23–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Massey, Doug. (1999). “What Critical Demography Means to Me.” Sociological Forum 14(3), 525–528.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishra, Ramesh. (1990). The Welfare State in Capitalist Society: Policies of Retrenchment and Maintenance in Europe, North American, and Australia. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, B.R. (1998). International Historical Statistics: Europe 1750–1993, 4th Ed. New York: Stockton Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Munday, Brian (ed.). (1989). The Crisis in Welfare: An International Perspective on Social Services and Social Work. New York: St. Martin's Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muniak, Dennis. (1985). “Policies That 'Don't Fit':Words of Caution on Adopting Overseas Solutions to American Problems.” Policy Studies Journal 14(1), 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Partnership for Women and Families. (2000). “Parental Leave Benefit Is Good News for New Parents: Many States Poised to Provide Family Leave Benefits.” http://www.nationalpartnership.org/news/pressreleases/2000/061000.htm.

  • New York Times. (1992). “Ideas and Trends: A Tighter Belt for Europe's Welfare States.” New York Times, December 27.

  • New York Times. (1984). “Europe, Too, Feels the Social Program Pinch.” New York Times, February 19,.

  • Nickell, Stephen. (1997). “Unemployment and Labor Market Rigidities: Europe versus North America.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 11(3), 55–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (1999a). Social Expenditure Database, 1980–1996. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (1999b). A Caring World: The New Social Policy Agenda. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (1990). “Child Care in OECD Countries.” In Employment Outlook. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Chapter 5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, Elizabeth. (1998). “U.N. Surveys Paid Leave for Mothers.” New York Times, February, 26,.

  • Paletz, David L. (1999). The Media in American Politics: Contents and Consequences. New York: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, Jon Henrik. (1998). “Financing of the Welfare State: Possibilities and Limits.” Center for Welfare State Research Working Paper 11. Odense University, Denmark.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pierson, Paul. (1994). Dismantling the Welfare State? Reagan, Thatcher, and the Politics of Retrenchment. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ploug, Niels. (1999). “Cuts in and Reform of the Nordic Cash Benefit Systems.” In Mikko Kautto, Matti Heikkilä, Bjørn Hvinden, Staffan Marklund, and Niels Ploug (eds.), Nordic Social Policy: Changing Welfare States. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ploug, Neils. (1994). “The Welfare State in Liquidation?” In Neils Ploug and Jon Kvist (eds.), Recent Trends in Cash Benefits. Social Security in Europe 4. Copenhagen: Danish National Institute of Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ploug, Neils and Jon Kvist. (1996). Social Security in Europe: Development or Dismantlement? Kluwer Sovac Series on Social Security, Vol. 3. The Hague: Kluwer Law International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Range, Peter Ross and Robert Gerald Livingston. (1996). “The German Welfare Model That Still Is: Despite the Talk, Social Responsibility Remains this Country's Reigning Principle.” The Washington Post, April, 11,.

  • Rose, Richard. (1991). “What is Lesson-Drawing?” Journal of Public Policy 11(1), 3–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • San Francisco Chronicle. (1993). “Economic Crisis Puts Welfare State at Risk.” San Francisco Chronicle, December 18, A1.

  • Schoenbach, Klaus and Lee B. Becker. (1995). “Origins and Consequences of Mediated Public Opinion.” In Theodore L. Glasser and Charles T. Salmon (eds.), Public Opinion and the Communication of Consent. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siebert, Horst. (1997). “Labor Market Rigidities: At the Root of Unemployment in Europe.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 11(3), 37–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smeeding, Timothy, Sheldon Danziger, and Lee Rainwater. (1995). “TheWesternWelfare State in the 1990s.” Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) Working Paper No. 128. Luxembourg: The Luxembourg Income Study.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stetson, Dorothy McBride. (1991). “The Political History of Parental Leave Policy.” In Janet Shibley Hyde and Marilyn J. Essex (eds.), Parental Leave and Child Care: Setting a Research and Policy Agenda. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swank, Duane. (1999). “Political Institutions and Welfare State Restructuring: The Impact of Institutions on Social Policy Change in Developed Countries.” Forthcoming in Paul Pierson (ed.), The New Politics of the Welfare State. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tietze, Wolfgang and Debby Cryer. (1999). “Current Trends in European Early Child Care and Education.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 563, 175–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (1996). The Sex and Age Distribution of the World Populations. New York: United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Bureau of the Census, International Data Base. (http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/ipc/idbagg).

  • U.S. News and World Report (1993). “Laying Off Nanny.” U.S. News and World Report, October 25, 41.

  • Western, Bruce and Katherin Beckett. (1999). “How Unregulated is the U.S. Labor Market? The Penal System as a Labor Market Institution.” American Journal of Sociology 104(4), 1030–1060.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeitzer, Ilene R. (1994). “Recent European Trends in Disability and Related Programs.” Social Security Bulletin 57(2), 21–26.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, Baruch College, City University of New York, 17 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY, 10010

    Janet C. Gornick

  2. School of Social Work, Columbia University, New York, NY

    Marcia K. Meyers

Authors
  1. Janet C. Gornick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marcia K. Meyers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gornick, J.C., Meyers, M.K. Lesson-Drawing in Family Policy: Media Reports and Empirical Evidence about European Developments. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis 3, 31–57 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011482708449

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011482708449

Search

Navigation