Isabela Mares is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. She is the author of The Politics of Social Risk: Business and Welfare Development (Cambridge University Press, 2003), which won the Gregory Luebbert Award of the American Political Science Association for best book in comparative politics. Her articles have appeared in International Organization, World Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Politics and Society, Governance, the Journal of Public Policy, Studie Politiczne and various edited volumes.

"There is no doubt at all that this book will change the terms of the debate on the political economy of unemployment. It provides for the first time a simple political economic argument which purports to explain movements of unemployment rates both over time (long periods of time), and across advanced economies. From this perspective it is a huge achievement which Professor Mares manages to make look extremely simple. No other book has tried to explain in a unified way the long term and comparative trends in unemployment. A formidable achievement." David Soskice, Duke University

• Introduction: does the welfare state hurt unemployment; 1. The economic and political consequences of welfare state maturation; 2. A quantitative analysis; 3. Sweden; 4. Germany; 5. Britain; Conclusion: new social pacts in contemporary Europe.

Isabela Mares is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. She is the author of The Politics of Social Risk: Business and Welfare Development (Cambridge University Press, 2003), which won the Gregory Luebbert Award of the American Political Science Association for best book in comparative politics. Her articles have appeared in International Organization, World Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Politics and Society, Governance, the Journal of Public Policy, Studie Politiczne and various edited volumes.

"There is no doubt at all that this book will change the terms of the debate on the political economy of unemployment. It provides for the first time a simple political economic argument which purports to explain movements of unemployment rates both over time (long periods of time), and across advanced economies. From this perspective it is a huge achievement which Professor Mares manages to make look extremely simple. No other book has tried to explain in a unified way the long term and comparative trends in unemployment. A formidable achievement." David Soskice, Duke University

• Introduction: does the welfare state hurt unemployment; 1. The economic and political consequences of welfare state maturation; 2. A quantitative analysis; 3. Sweden; 4. Germany; 5. Britain; Conclusion: new social pacts in contemporary Europe.

Isabela Mares is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. She is the author of The Politics of Social Risk: Business and Welfare Development (Cambridge University Press, 2003), which won the Gregory Luebbert Award of the American Political Science Association for best book in comparative politics. Her articles have appeared in International Organization, World Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Politics and Society, Governance, the Journal of Public Policy, Studie Politiczne and various edited volumes.

"There is no doubt at all that this book will change the terms of the debate on the political economy of unemployment. It provides for the first time a simple political economic argument which purports to explain movements of unemployment rates both over time (long periods of time), and across advanced economies. From this perspective it is a huge achievement which Professor Mares manages to make look extremely simple. No other book has tried to explain in a unified way the long term and comparative trends in unemployment. A formidable achievement." David Soskice, Duke University

• Introduction: does the welfare state hurt unemployment; 1. The economic and political consequences of welfare state maturation; 2. A quantitative analysis; 3. Sweden; 4. Germany; 5. Britain; Conclusion: new social pacts in contemporary Europe.