‘Late Industrializers’ and the Development of Welfare Regimes

Abstract

‘Lateness’ has long been recognized as a key explanatory variable in accounting for the distinctive pattern of economic development beyond the pioneering states of industrialization. This paper explores the consequences of ‘lateness’ in the emergence of social policy regimes beyond the innovating ‘core’, drawing data from regional experience in Latin America and South-East Asia. Late industrialization is widely associated with the early adoption of welfare programmes, which exhibit high levels of state involvement. However, the ‘other side’ of later industrialization is often reflected in the ‘skewing’ or ‘uneven development’ of these welfare regimes. In fact, the experience of late industrializers varies widely.