Striking deals: concertation in the reform of continental European welfare states

Ebbinghaus, Bernhard; Hassel, Anke

doi:10.1080/135017600343269

Cited by 172 publications

(130 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(13 reference statements)

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“…path departure); these may also be more acceptable politically, not least because the changes are at first unobservable or too complicated to understand (Myles/Pierson 2001). Grandfathering rules that exempt current pensioners from retrenchment at the expense of cuts for future beneficiaries have been a common device in welfare reforms negotiated by governments with trade unions, as the core union membership is exempted or less affected by changes (Brugiavini et al 2001;Ebbinghaus/Hassel 2000). Hence, there does exist a large variety of intermediate changes (path departure) in between the extreme cases of status quo maintenance (path stabilization) claimed by political scientists and radical system change (path switch) often advocated by economists.…”

Section: Path Dependence Example Ii: Multiple Pathways Of Welfare Reformmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Path Dependence Explain Institutional Change? Two Approaches Applied to Welfare State Reform

Ebbinghaus¹

2009

The Evolution of Path Dependence

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MPIfG Discussion Papers are refereed scholarly papers of the kind that are publishable in a peer-reviewed disciplinary journal. Their objective is to contribute to the cumulative improvement of theoretical knowledge. The papers can be ordered from the institute for a small fee (hard copies) or downloaded free of charge (PDF). AbstractPath dependence as a concept in institutional theories has become increasingly popular in economics and other social sciences. The key idea is that in a sequence of events, the latter events are not (completely) independent from those that occurred in the past. Yet, common usage of the concept often subsumes two markedly different models and approaches to understand historical sequencing. The two main processes of the past shaping the future -diffusion and developmental pathways -must be distinguished analytically. This paper juxtaposes (1) the unplanned "trodden path" that takes shape through the subsequent repeated use by other individuals of that spontaneously chosen path, and (2) the "branching pathways" or juncture at which one of the available alternative pathways must be chosen in order to continue a journey. Furthermore, the typical approaches and their explanatory purchase are discussed in reference to explanations of institutional change. The paper shows that the first path dependence theorem is too deterministic and inflexible, whereas the second approach is sufficiently supple to analyze various forms of institutional change. ZusammenfassungPfadabhängigkeit wird in den Sozial-und Wirtschaftswissenschaften zunehmend als Konzept institutioneller Theorien angewendet. Der Grundgedanke ist, dass in einer Sequenz von Ereignissen (oder Entscheidungen) spätere nicht (vollkommen) unabhängig von vorangegangenen sind. Jedoch wird in gängigen Anwendungen des Konzepts oft versäumt, nach zwei äußerst unterschiedlichen Verständnissen historischer Sequenzen zu differenzieren. Die zwei Prozesse der Strukturierung der Zukunft durch die Vergangenheit -Diffusionspfade und Entwicklungspfade -sollen analytisch getrennt werden. Dieser Aufsatz unterscheidet (1) den zufälligen "Trampelpfad", welcher durch die vermehrte Benutzung eines Pfades spontan entsteht, von (2) dem "Scheideweg", an dem einer der möglichen Pfade gewählt werden muss, um den Weg fortzusetzen. Im Weiteren wird der Erklärungsbeitrag der beiden Ansätze in Bezug auf die Erklärung institutionellen Wandels erörtert. Es zeigt sich, dass das erste Pfadabhängigkeitstheorem zu deterministisch und inflexibel ist, der zweite Pfadabhängig-keitsansatz hingegen offen genug, unterschiedliche Formen institutionellen Wandels zu analysieren.

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Section: Path Dependence Example Ii: Multiple Pathways Of Welfare Reformmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Path Dependence Explain Institutional Change? Two Approaches Applied to Welfare State Reform

Ebbinghaus¹

2009

The Evolution of Path Dependence

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“…Given participation in Bismarckian self-administration , the social partners can play an important role in coordinating policy initiatives and implementing welfare reforms. However, these organized interests can also provide obstacles to reform as they defend vested interests and block changes in the status quo (Ebbinghaus and Hassel 2000). Even when cooperating and negotiating reforms, the social partners can still pursue rather narrow self-interests, externalizing the costs of their actions onto non-participating third parties or the public at large.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Long Goodbye to Bismarck? : The Politics of Welfare Reform in Continental Europe

Palier¹

2010

243

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“…The policy of increasing retirement age encountered in a widespread resistance from unions [46], women's rights organizations and others. In addition to disputing many of the contentions about increasing the retirement age, and the assumptions upon which they are made, the opponents' claim that the reduced benefits will increase the poverty rate because many of those at risk-the poor, the less educated, those with health problems, and those who work in physically demanding jobs-have no choice but to retire early [10].…”

Section: Arguments Against Increasing the Retirement Agementioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing the Pensionable Age: What Changes Are OECD Countries Making? What Considerations Are Driving Policy?

Axelrad¹,

Mahoney²

2017

JSS

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The average age of retirement used to be low in most countries due to numerous policies introduced 30 to 40 years ago which encouraged lower retirement ages. However, in response to the growth of the older segment of the population, increased life expectancy, the need for skilled workers, and the precarious financial state of public pension systems, pension reforms have been implemented in the U.S. and Europe, and are now geared towards improving employment rates for older workers, increasing retirement ages and pension eligibility. This paper surveys recent changes in retirement age and maps the changes that have occurred in the last decades using data from 34 OECD (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. This paper then reviews the arguments for and against these changes, the criteria for setting a certain retirement age, and the differences in statutory retirement age by gender, occupation, employment status, and other factors unique to particular countries. The purpose of this paper is to analyze current trends in terms of raising the pensionable age.

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Striking deals: concertation in the reform of continental European welfare states

Cited by 172 publications

References 13 publications

Can Path Dependence Explain Institutional Change? Two Approaches Applied to Welfare State Reform

Can Path Dependence Explain Institutional Change? Two Approaches Applied to Welfare State Reform

A Long Goodbye to Bismarck? : The Politics of Welfare Reform in Continental Europe

Increasing the Pensionable Age: What Changes Are OECD Countries Making? What Considerations Are Driving Policy?

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