Party competition and reforms of unemployment benefits in Germany : how a small change in electoral demand can make a big difference
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
2009
Citazione:
Party competition and reforms of unemployment benefits in Germany : how a small change in electoral demand can make a big difference / G.J. Picot. - In: GERMAN POLITICS. - ISSN 0964-4008. - 18:2(2009 Jun), pp. 155-179.
Abstract:
This article shows how party competition has influenced reforms of unemployment
benefits in Germany. The existing literature on German labour market
policy emphasises institutional factors and predicts policy stability. Consequently,
the recent fundamental reforms (‘Hartz reforms’) pose a challenge to
previous research. By looking at the spatial configuration of the party system
and at policy demand, this article argues that the incremental retrenchments
of the 1980s and 1990s were conditioned by centripetal competition and a
high degree of welfare consensus, whereas the more radical Hartz reforms
were made possible by a limited shift in public opinion in favour of restructuring
and the lack of a left-wing counterweight in the party system. Thus, the structure
of the party system exacerbated the effect of a demand shift that was only
moderate. The analysis is not meant to discard other explanatory factors,
rather it intends to demonstrate the relevance of party competition to the
study of labour market reforms in Germany and, more generally, to comparative
welfare state research.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
party competition ; unemployment benefits ; Germany
Elenco autori:
G.J. Picot
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