Gøsta Esping-Andersen

Gøsta Esping-Andersen (pronounced [ˈjøsd̥a ɛsb̥eŋ ˈɑnɐsn̩]) (born 24 November 1947, Næstved, Denmark),^[1] is a Danish sociologist whose primary focus is on the welfare state and its place in capitalist economies. Esping-Andersen is a professor at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona (Spain), and member of the Scientific Committee of the Juan March Institute and of the Board of Trustees and the Scientific Council at the IMDEA Social Sciences Institute, both in Madrid (Spain).

Major works

His major, most influential and highly cited book titled The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism^[2][3] was published in 1990 and it laid out three main types of welfare states, in which modern developed capitalist nations cluster:

• Liberal
• Corporatist-Statist
• Social Democratic

It is important to note that these categories have little to do with the contemporary labels of American politics, and rather have much more to do with general political theory. The traditional examples of the three types of welfare states are the United States (liberal), Germany (corporatist-statist) and Sweden (social democratic). Mediterranean model is a label for Italy, Spain or Greece, where the family network is important to provide welfare.

Other sociologists and political scientists went on to apply his theoretical analysis to the real world. One such example is a book entitled Real Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, written by Robert E. Goodin, Bruce Headey, Ruud Muffels, and Henk-Jan Dirven.^[4] While some critics claim Esping-Andersen's categories are becoming outdated, many political scientists are attracted by its intuitive simplicity.

Criticism

The evolving nature of welfare states often makes it difficult to categorize. Arguably, many welfare states have components from some or all typologies, making them more akin to points on a continuum rather than rigid typologies. A fact which Esping-Andersen acknowledges in his writings.

According to French sociologist, Georges Menahem, Esping-Andersen's "decommodification index" aggregates both qualitative and quantitative variables for ”sets of dimensions” which fluid, and pertain to three very different areas. Similarly, Menahem has concerns regarding the validity of the index, and its potential for replication.^[5]

Bibliography

Books

• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta (1980). Social class, social democracy and state policy: party policy and party decomposition in Denmark and Sweden. Copenhagen: Institute of Organization and Industrial Sociology. ISBN 9788770341790. 
• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta; Zeitlin, Maurice; Friedland, Roger (1982). Political power and social theory: a research annual, volume 3. Greenwich, Connecticut: Jai Press Inc. ISBN 9780892322046. 
• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta (1985). Politics against markets: the social democratic road to power. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691028422. 
• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta; Rein, Martin; Rainwater, Lee (1987). Stagnation and renewal in social policy: the rise and fall of policy regimes. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 9780873323901. 
• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta (1990). The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780069028573. 
• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta (1993). Changing classes stratification and mobility in post-industrial societies. London Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications. ISBN 9781849208253. 
• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta (1996). Welfare states in transition national adaptations in global economies. London Thousand Oaks, California: Sage. ISBN 9780857021861. 
• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta (1999). Social foundations of postindustrial economies. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198742005. 
• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta; Regini, Marino (2000). Why deregulate labour markets. Oxford UK New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199240524. 
• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta; Gallie, Duncan; Hemerijck, Anton; Myles, John (2002). Why we need a new welfare state. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199256433. 
• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta (2007). Family formation and family dilemmas in contemporary Europe. Bilbao Spain: Fundación BBVA. ISBN 9788496515352. 
• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta (2009). The incomplete revolution: adapting to women's new roles. Cambridge, UK Malden, Massachusetts: Polity. ISBN 9780745643168. 

Journal articles

• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta; Korpi, Walter (Fall 1986). "From poor relief to institutional welfare states: the development of Scandinavian social policy". International Journal of Sociology, special issue: The Scandinavian Model: Welfare States and Welfare Research (M.E. Sharpe, Inc. via JSTOR) 16 (3–4): 39–74. JSTOR 20629942. 
• Esping-Andersen, Gøsta (Fall 1990). "The three political economies of the welfare state". International Journal of Sociology (M.E. Sharpe, Inc. via JSTOR) 20 (3): 92–123. JSTOR 20630041. 

References