This article discusses recent research on party politics and the welfare state that differs from traditional 'partisan politics theory'. The traditional approach states that left-wing and right-wing parties hold contrasting positions on welfare issues, depending on the interests of their respective electorates. This view has recently been challenged by three strands of research, which emphasize (1) the effects of electoral change on parties' policy positions, (2) the role of context, notably electoral institutions, party competition and the configuration of party systems, and (3) the impact of different linkages between parties and electorates (particularistic versus programmatic). The implications of these arguments for the applicability of partisan theory are presented, and theoretical and empirical issues are identified for further research.The objective of this article is to highlight and discuss new approaches regarding the relationship between party politics and the welfare state. These approaches can be qualified as new because they differ from traditional 'partisan politics theory'. The latter is a well-established theoretical strand in comparative welfare state research and, more broadly, in comparative political economy. In a nutshell, it sees parties as representatives of social constituencies, mostly defined in terms of industrial classes, and as bearers of clear ideological stances for social-democratic or conservative welfare policies. Social policy output, in this view, depends on the partisan composition of government.New ways of conceptualizing the role and impact of political parties on social and economic policies have been thriving in recent years, but the different contributions have neither been reviewed nor connected. This is what we do in this article. We identify three ways in which recent studies depart from traditional theory. First, it must be taken into account that electoral constituencies have changed and do not correspond to those of the industrial age anymore. Secondly, various contributions have shown that the institutional context, party systems and party competition matter for the kind of welfare policies individual political parties advocate. Thirdly, diverse links between parties and electorates (particularistic versus programmatic) shape the policy strategies adopted by parties.Traditional partisan politics theory assumes a linear and direct relationship between the type of party in power (e.g. social-democratic or conservative) and policy output. Each of the three strands of research that we are going to address in this article questions this linear relationship in its own way. The empirical analysis of changing socio-structural electoral constituencies alters our expectations, because it means that parties represent the anonymous reviewers for helpful comments, as well as Sarah Birch for editorial guidance. different interests from the ones that marked their ideological profiles in the early decades of welfare state growth. 1 If, in turn, we take context seriously, both in...
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