Hello and welcome to the second episode of Theory of a Week, the new weekly show from a student’s note, where we explore a new theory-esque concept each week.

For this second episode I have chosen Esping-Andersen’s contribution of defining three welfare state clusters, because notwithstanding criticism the typology it is still widely used in welfare state research.

Esping-Andersen revolutionalised the way in which we compare welfare states today and changed the way researchers measure the extent of individual welfare states. Reason enough to explore his reasoning and his famous typology.

Let’s get started.

Chapters

* Introduction

* Three Approaches to Welfare State Development

* Case for a multi-layered approach

* Andersens analytical categories

* Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism

Closing Question

Do we still have three worlds of welfare capitalism? That is, is the typology still useful beyond “the golden age of welfare states”?

I believe so because the typology has proven remarkably enduring. Some attempts have been made to expand it and exclude states like the Netherlands and Switzerland entirely, classifying them as « mixed cases » that don’t fit a typological design (unlike ideal types).

Furthermore, a data error initially placed Japan incorrectly in the typology. Despite these issues, the typology, with some adjustments to the countries, remains widely used beyond social policy research. And in my experience, it’s discussed in almost all introductory political science courses, demonstrating its lasting impact and persistence in analysing welfare states.

But thats just my reading, what do you think?

Music credits

Music track: Daydreams by PufinoSource: https://freetouse.com/musicMusic for Video (Free Download)

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit astudentsnote.substack.com