Dennie Oude Nijhuis is an Assistant Professor of History at Leiden University. He has been a visiting lecturer at Bilgi University, Istanbul University and Chulalongkorn University, and a research fellow at Yale University's Department of Political Science. Oude Nijhuis specializes in the comparative political economy of labor markets and welfare states and the political economy of European integration. His work has been published in World Politics, Labor History, Twentieth Century British History and the Journal of Economic and Social Geography. His thesis was shortlisted for the Nederlandse Kring voor de Wetenschap der Politiek Annual Dissertation Award. He has received an NWO–Rubicon grant for a research proposal that aimed to uncover the determinants of organized labor support for redistribution. In 2011 he was awarded the prize for best article of the year on a non-U.S. or comparative topic by the journal Labor History.

'Oude Nijhuis's book is a convincing and timely contribution to the contemporary debates on welfare state development. It highlights the gripping conflicts that, while dealing with seemingly tedious and technical features of welfare programs, reveal key differences in the welfare state preferences of labor and capital. This book opens new paths for further research.' Matthieu Leimgruber, University of Geneva

• 1. Labor and the development of the postwar welfare state; 2. Labor divided; 3. The development of old age pensions in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom; 4. The development of unemployment insurance in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom; 5. The development of disability insurance in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom; 6. Union solidarity and the use of social security for early retirement purposes in The Netherlands; 7. Conclusions and implications.

Dennie Oude Nijhuis is an Assistant Professor of History at Leiden University. He has been a visiting lecturer at Bilgi University, Istanbul University and Chulalongkorn University, and a research fellow at Yale University's Department of Political Science. Oude Nijhuis specializes in the comparative political economy of labor markets and welfare states and the political economy of European integration. His work has been published in World Politics, Labor History, Twentieth Century British History and the Journal of Economic and Social Geography. His thesis was shortlisted for the Nederlandse Kring voor de Wetenschap der Politiek Annual Dissertation Award. He has received an NWO–Rubicon grant for a research proposal that aimed to uncover the determinants of organized labor support for redistribution. In 2011 he was awarded the prize for best article of the year on a non-U.S. or comparative topic by the journal Labor History.

'Oude Nijhuis's book is a convincing and timely contribution to the contemporary debates on welfare state development. It highlights the gripping conflicts that, while dealing with seemingly tedious and technical features of welfare programs, reveal key differences in the welfare state preferences of labor and capital. This book opens new paths for further research.' Matthieu Leimgruber, University of Geneva

• 1. Labor and the development of the postwar welfare state; 2. Labor divided; 3. The development of old age pensions in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom; 4. The development of unemployment insurance in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom; 5. The development of disability insurance in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom; 6. Union solidarity and the use of social security for early retirement purposes in The Netherlands; 7. Conclusions and implications.