Monika Mischke – författare

Welfare States and Public Opinion comprises an informed inquiry into three fields of social policy health policy, family policy, and unemployment benefits and social assistance. Though the analyses stem from research spanning fifteen countries across Europe, the conclusions can be applied to social policy problems in nations worldwide.

Combining a detailed analysis of the institutional structure of social policy with the study of public attitudes toward healthcare, family policy, and benefits for the unemployed and poor, this book represents a new stream in public opinion research. The authors demonstrate that the institutional designs of social policies have a great impact on inequalities among social groups, and provide best practices for gaining public support for social policy reform.

The wealth of information found in this comprehensive study will be of interest not only to scholars and students of sociology, political science, social policy, public policy and law, but to health and social policymakers the world over.

Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Perceptions of Welfare State Institutions: Theories and Concepts 3. Healthcare Our Greatest Good? 4. Family Policy One for All? 5. Public Support for Unemployment Benefits and Social Assistance Schemes Money for Nothing or Help in Dire Straits? 6. Conclusion: Comparing Public Attitudes in Three Fields of Social Policy Bibliography Index

Welfare States and Public Opinion comprises an informed inquiry into three fields of social policy health policy, family policy, and unemployment benefits and social assistance. Though the analyses stem from research spanning fifteen countries across Europe, the conclusions can be applied to social policy problems in nations worldwide. Combining a detailed analysis of the institutional structure of social policy with the study of public attitudes toward healthcare, family policy, and benefits for the unemployed and poor, this book represents a new stream in public opinion research. The authors demonstrate that the institutional designs of social policies have a great impact on inequalities among social groups, and provide best practices for gaining public support for social policy reform.The wealth of information found in this comprehensive study will be of interest not only to scholars and students of sociology, political science, social policy, public policy and law, but to health and social policymakers the world over.Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Perceptions of Welfare State Institutions: Theories and Concepts 3. Healthcare Our Greatest Good? 4. Family Policy One for All? 5. Public Support for Unemployment Benefits and Social Assistance Schemes Money for Nothing or Help in Dire Straits? 6. Conclusion: Comparing Public Attitudes in Three Fields of Social Policy Bibliography Index

Family-policy variation in Europe is still enormous and there is very limited knowledge about the publics’ attitudes toward family-policy measures in a comparative perspective. This book addresses this research gap by combing a profound analysis of existing family-policy measures with a thorough analysis of public attitudes. Based on institutional theory, which argues that institutions structure the processes of orientation, the empirical analyses shed light on the relationship between the current family-policy setup, the social context, and public attitudes toward particular family-policy measures in 12 countries of the European Union. The results demonstrate that the social context needs to be taken into account in order to improve our understanding of attitudinal variation among different countries and family-policy contexts. Moreover, this book points out that only few patterns of social polarization are quasi universal whereas many others are specific to individual countries or certain groups of countries.