Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T09:07:15.018Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

How does the welfare state model influence social political attitudes? An analysis of citizens' concrete and abstract attitudes toward poverty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2020

Timo Toikko  and
Teemu Rantanen
Timo Toikko*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tampere, Pori, Finland
Teemu Rantanen
Affiliation:
Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Tikkurila Campus, Vantaa, Finland
*
CONTACT Timo Toikko [email protected] University of Tampere, Pohjoisranta 11, 28100 Pori, Finland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the welfare state models and social political attitudes. The data are based on the sixth round of the European Social Survey. The study revealed a mechanism of how the relationship between concrete and abstract attitudes differs between the welfare states. In the Anglo-Saxon and Nordic welfare states the relationship is a positive one, which indicates that the welfare state has a broad support among citizens. In the Continental, Eastern and Southern welfare states the relationship is a negative one. This means that the less satisfied citizens are with governmental measures, the more positive their attitudes are regarding protecting citizens against poverty. Also the study showed that the welfare state model directly influences citizens’ concrete attitudes and indirectly influences abstract poverty attitudes. In this sense, the welfare state model is seen more as an attitudinal perception than an actual social policy.

Keywords

Social policywelfare statesocial political attitudes
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , October 2017 , pp. 201 - 224
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ajzen, I. (2001). Nature and operation of attitudes. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 27–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Andreß, H. J., & Heien, T. (2001). Four worlds of welfare state attitudes? A comparison of Germany, Norway, and the United States. European Sociological Review, 17(4), 337–356.Google Scholar
Anttonen, A., & Sipilä, J. (2010). Universalism in the British and scandinavian social policy debates. In Anttonen, A., Häikiö, L., & Stefansson, K. (Eds.), Welfare state, universalism and diversity. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.Google Scholar
Arts, W., & Gelissen, J. (2002). Three worlds of welfare capitalism or more? A state-of-the-art report. Journal of European Social Policy, 12(2), 137–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aspalter, C. (2006). The East Asian welfare model. International Journal of Social Welfare, 15, 290–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bean, C., & Papadakis, E. (1998). A comparison of mass attitudes towards the welfare state in different institutional regimes, 1985–1990. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 10(3), 211–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Béland, D. (2005). Ideas and social policy: An institutionalist perspective. Social Policy and Administration, 39(1), 1–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blekesaune, M. (2007). Economic conditions and public attitudes to welfare policies. European Sociological Review, 23(3), 393–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blekesaune, M., & Quadagno, J. (2003). Public attitudes toward welfare state policies: A comparative analysis of 24 nations. European Sociological Review, 19(5), 415–427.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonoli, J. (1997). Classifying welfare states: A two-dimension approach. Journal of Social Policy, 26, 351–372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cairney, P., & Heikkila, T. (2014). A comparison of theories of the policy process. In Sabatier, P. A. & Weible, C. M. (Eds.), Theories of the policy process (pp. 363–389). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Calzada, I., Gómez-Garrido, M., Moreno, L., & Moreno-Fuentes, F. J. (2014). It is not only about equality. A study on the (other) values that ground attitudes to the welfare state. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 26(2), 178–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castles, F. G., & Mitchell, D. (1993). Worlds of welfare and families of nations. In Castles, F. G. (Ed.), Families of nations: Patterns of public policy in Western democracies (pp. 94–112). Aldershot: Dartmouht Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Croissant, A. (2004). Changing welfare regimes in east and Southeast Asia: crisis, change and challenge. Social Policy and Administration, 38, 504–524.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Da Costa, L. P., & Dias, J. G. (2014). Perceptions of poverty attributions in Europe: A multilevel mixture model approach. Quality & Quantity, 48(3), 1409–1419.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
David, P. A. (2001). Path dependence, its critics and the quest for ´historical economics'. In Garrouste, P. & Ioannides, S. (Eds.), Evolution and path dependence in economic ideas: Past and present (pp. 15–40). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.Google Scholar
Davids, Y. D., & Gouws, A. (2013). Monitoring perceptions of the causes of poverty in South Africa. Social Indicators Research, 110(3), 1201–1220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deacon, B. (1993). Developments in East European social policy. In Jones, C. (Eds.), New perspectives on the welfare state in Europe (pp. 177–197). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Deeming, C. (2016). The lost and the new liberal world of welfare capitalism: A critical assessment of Gøsta Esping-Andersen's the three worlds of welfare capitalism a quarter century later. Social Policy and Society, 1–18. Retrieved from http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1474746415000676Google Scholar
Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The psychology of attitudes. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.Google Scholar
Edlund, J. (1999). Trust in government and welfare regimes: Attitudes to redistribution and financial cheating in the USA and Norway. European Journal of Political Research, 35(3), 341–370.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ervasti, H. (2012). Who hates the welfare state? Criticism of the welfare state in Europe. In Ervasti, H., Andersen, J. G., Fridberg, T., & Ringdal, T. (Eds.), The future of the welfare state. Social policy attitudes and social capital in Europe (pp. 231–248). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.Google Scholar
Esping-Andersen, G. (1990). The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Cambridge: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Esping-Andersen, G. (2015). Welfare regimes and social stratification. Journal of European Social Policy, 25(1), 124–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
European Social Survey (ESS). (2014). Weighting European social survey data. Retrieved January 15, 2015, http://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/Google Scholar
Facchini, G., & Mayda, A. M. (2009). Does the welfare state affect individual attitudes toward immigrants? Evidence across countries. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 91(2), 295–314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farkas, B. (2011). The central and Eastern European model of capitalism. Post-Communist Economies, 23(01), 15–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fenger, M. (2007). Welfare regimes in central and Eastern Europe: Incorporating post-communist countries in a welfare regime typology. Contemporary Issues and Ideas in Social Sciences, 3(2), 1–30.Google Scholar
Fernández, J. J., & Jaimie-Castillo, A. M. (2013). Positive or negative policy feedbacks? Explaining popular attitudes towards pragmatic pension policy reforms. European Sociological Review, 29 (4), 803–815.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferragina, E., & Seeleib-Kaiser, M. (2011). Thematic review: Welfare regime debate: Past, present, futures? Policy & Politics, 39(4), 583–611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferrera, M. (1996). The ‘southern model’ of welfare in social Europe. Journal of European Social Policy, 6(1), 17–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gal, J. (2010). Is there an extended family of Mediterranean welfare states? Journal of European Social Policy, 20(4), 283–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gelissen, J. (2000). Popular support for institutionalised solidarity: A comparison between European welfare states. International Journal of Social Welfare, 9(4), 285–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gërxhani, K., & Koster, F. (2012). ‘I am not alone’: Understanding public support for the welfare state. International Sociology, 27(6), 768–787.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goerres, A., & Tepe, M. (2010). Age-based self-interest, intergenerational solidarity and the welfare state: A comparative analysis of older people's attitudes towards public childcare in 12 OECD countries. European Journal of Political Research, 49(6), 818–851.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halman, L., & Van Oorschot, W. (1999). Popular perceptions of poverty in Dutch society. Tilburg: Tilburg University, WORC.Google Scholar
Halvorsen, R., Hvinden, B., & Schoyen, M. A. (2016). The Nordic welfare model in the twenty-first century: The bumble-bee still flies! Social Policy and Society, 15(01), 57–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heck, R. H., Thomas, S. L., & Tabata, L. N. (2014). Multilevel and longitudinal modeling with IBM SPSS. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Heien, T., & Hofäcker, D. (1999). How do welfare regimes influence attitudes? A comparison of five European countries and the United States 1985–1996. Bielefeld: University of Bielefeld.Google Scholar
Hox, J. (2010). Multilevel analysis. Techniques and applications. New York, Hove: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jæger, M. M. (2006). What makes people support public responsibility for welfare provision: Self-interest or political ideology? A longitudinal approach. Acta Sociologica, 49(3), 321–338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jaeger, M. M. (2009). United but divided: Welfare regimes and the level and variance in public support for redistribution. European Sociological Review, 25, 723–737.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jakobsen, T. G. (2011). Welfare attitudes and social expenditure: Do regimes shape public opinion? Social Indicators Research, 101(3), 323–340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jordan, B. (2008). Welfare and well-being: Social value in public policy. Bristol: Policy Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jordan, B. (2010). Why the third way failed: Economics, morality and the origins of the “big society”. Bristol: Policy Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jordan, B., & Redley, M. (1994). Polarisation, underclass and the welfare state. Work, Employment and Society, 8(2), 153–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jordan, J. (2013). Policy feedback and support for the welfare state. Journal of European Social Policy, 23(2), 134–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kammer, A., Niehues, J., & Peichl, A. (2012). Welfare regimes and welfare state outcomes in Europe. Journal of European Social Policy, 22(5), 455–471.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kasza, G. (2002). The illusion of welfare regimes. Journal of Social Policy, 3(1), 271–287.Google Scholar
Korpi, W. (1983). The democratic class struggle. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
Korpi, W., & Palme, J. (1998). The paradox of redistribution and strategies of equality: welfare state institutions, inequalities and poverty in the Western countries. American Sociological Review, 661–687.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kreidl, M. (2000). Perceptions of poverty and wealth in western and post-communist countries. Social Justice Research, 13(2), 151–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuivalainen, S., & Niemelä, M. (2010). From universalism to selectivism: The ideational turn of the anti-poverty policies in Finland. Journal of European Social Policy, 20(3), 263–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kumlin, S. (2004). The personal and the political: How personal welfare state experiences affect political trust and ideology. London: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kumlin, S., & Stadelmann-Steffen, I. (2014). Citizens, policy, and European welfare states. In Kumlin, S. & Stadelman-Steffen, I. (Eds.), How welfare states shape the democratic public. Policy feedback, participation, voting, and attitudes (pp. 3–17). Cheltenham: Edgard Elgar.Google Scholar
Larsen, C. A. (2006). The institutional logic of welfare attitudes: How welfare regimes influence public support. Hampshire: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Larsen, C. A. (2007). The institutional logic of welfare attitudes: How welfare regimes influence public support. Comparative political studies. Aalborg: Aalborg University.Google Scholar
Larsen, C. A. (2008). The institutional logic of welfare attitudes. Comparative Political Studies, 41(2), 145–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Le Grand, J. (1991). Quasi-markets and social policy. The Economic Journal, 101(408), 1256–1267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Le Grand, J. (1997). Knights, knaves or pawns? Human behaviour and social policy. Journal of Social Policy, 26(02), 149–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Le Grand, J. (2007). The other invisible hand. Princeton/New Jersey: Delivering Public Services through Choice and Competition.Google Scholar
Leibfreid, S. (1992). Towards a European welfare state. In Ferge, Z. & Kolberg, J. E. (Eds.), Social policy in a changing Europe (pp. 245–279). Frankfurt: Campus-Verlag.Google Scholar
Moreno, L. (2003). The Spanish development of Southern European welfare. In Kuhnle, S. (Eds.), The survival of the European welfare state (pp. 146–164). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Moreno, L. (2010). Welfare mix, CSR and social citizenship. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 30(11/12), 683–696.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muuri, A. (2010). The impact of the use of the social welfare services or social security benefits on attitudes to social welfare policies. International Journal of Social Welfare, 19(2), 182–193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nelson, K. (2010). Social assistance and minimum income benefits in old and new EU democracies. International Journal of Social Welfare, 19(4), 367–378.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Niemelä, M. (2008). Perceptions of the causes of poverty in Finland. Acta Sociologica, 51(1), 23–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pfeifer, M. (2009). Public opinion on state responsibility for minimum income protection a comparison of 14 European countries. Acta Sociologica, 52(2), 117–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pierson, P. (2000). Increasing returns, path dependence, and the study of politics. American Political Science Review, 94(2), 251–267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pierson, P. (2001). Coping with permanent austerity: Welfare state restructuring in affluent democracies. In Leibfried, S., & Mau, S. (Eds.), Welfare states: Construction, deconstruction, reconstruction (pp. 276–328). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.Google Scholar
Powell, M., & Barrientos, A. (2004). Welfare regimes and the welfare mix. European Journal of Political Research, 43(1), 83–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rantanen, T., McLaughlin, T., & Toikko, T. (2015). Do Finnish young people support the Nordic welfare state? International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 35(1/2), 47–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rehm, P. (2011). Social policy by popular demand. World Politics, 63(2), 271–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roosma, F., van Oorschot, W., & Gelissen, J. (2013). The multidimensionality of welfare state attitudes: A European cross-national study. Social Indicators Research, 113(1), 235–255.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roosma, F., van Oorschot, W., & Gelissen, J. (2014). The preferred role and perceived performance of the welfare state: European welfare attitudes from a multidimensional perspective. Social Science Research, 44, 200–210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sevä, I. S. (2009). Local contexts, social risks and social spending preferences: A multi-level approach. Acta Sociologica, 52(3), 249–262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skitka, L. J., Mullen, E., Griffin, T., Hutchinson, S., & Chamberlin, B. (2002). Dispositions, scripts, or motivated correction?: Understanding ideological differences in explanations for social problems. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(2), 470–487.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Svallfors, S. (1991). The politics of welfare policy in Sweden: Structural determinants and attitudinal cleavages. The British Journal of Sociology, 42, 609–634.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Svallfors, S. (1997). Worlds of welfare and attitudes to redistribution: A comparison of eight western nations. European Sociological Review, 13(3), 283–304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valdimarsdóttir, M. (2010). Welfare state attitudes, characteristics associated with individual support for governmental redistribution. Reykjavík: Félagsvísindastofnun Háskóla Íslands.Google Scholar
Van Oorschot, W. V. (2000). Who should get what, and why? On deservingness criteria and the conditionality of solidarity among the public. Policy & Politics, 28(1), 33–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Oorschot, W. V. (2006). Making difference in social Europe: Deservingness perceptions among citizens of European welfare states. Journal of European Social Policy, 16(1), 23–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Oorschot, W. V., & Arts, W. (2005). The social capital of European welfare states: The crowding out hypothesis revisited. Journal of European Social Policy, 15(1), 5–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Oorschot, W. V., & Halman, L. (2000). Blame or fate, individual or social? European Societies, 2(1), 1–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Oorschot, W. V., & Meuleman, B. (2012). Welfarism and the multidimensionality of welfare state legitimacy: Evidence from The Netherlands, 2006. International Journal of Social Welfare, 21(1), 79–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vergne, J. P., & Durand, R. (2010). The missing link between the theory and empirics of path dependence: conceptual clarification, testability issue, and methodological implications. Journal of Management Studies, 47(4), 736–759.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weaver, K. (2010). Paths and forks or chutes and ladders? Negative feedbacks and policy regime change. Journal of Public Policy, 30(2), 137–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar