A genealogy of welfare state theories and models

Abstract

The purpose of the present essay is manifold. The first section traces a broad, critical portrait of the development of the distinct theories that have been employed to explain the origins, expansion, and crisis of the welfare state. The second section presents and discusses the most influential attempts to delineate distinct welfare state models or typologies. The third and last section discusses why the feminist critique of ‘mainstream’ welfare state analyses may be considered a paradigm shift and exami­nes how and why the dialogue between the two perspectives was sparked.