Name Gosta Esping-Andersen | ||
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Institutions Harvard UniversityEuropean University InstitutePompeu Fabra University Known for Welfare Regimes • Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism | ||
Conferència Gosta Esping Andersen
Gøsta Esping-Andersen ([ˈjøsd̥a ɛsb̥eŋ ˈɑnɐsn̩]) (born 24 November 1947 in Næstved, Denmark), is a Danish sociologist whose primary focus is on the welfare state and its place in capitalist economies. Esping-Andersen is a professor at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona (Spain), and member of the Scientific Committee of the Juan March Institute and of the Board of Trustees and the Scientific Council at the IMDEA Social Sciences Institute, both in Madrid (Spain).
Contents
- Conferncia Gosta Esping Andersen
- Abschlussveranstaltung u a mit g sta esping andersen
- Major works
- Criticism
- References
Abschlussveranstaltung u a mit g sta esping andersen
Major works
His major, most influential and highly cited book titled The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism was published in 1990 and it laid out three main types of welfare states, in which modern developed capitalist nations cluster:
It is important to note that these categories have little to do with the contemporary labels of American politics, and rather have much more to do with general political theory. The traditional examples of the three types of welfare states are the United States (liberal), Germany (corporatist-statist) and Sweden (social democratic).
Other sociologists and political scientists went on to apply his theoretical analysis to the real world. One such example is a book entitled Real Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, written by Robert E. Goodin, Bruce Headey, Ruud Muffels, and Henk-Jan Dirven. While some critics claim Esping-Andersen's categories are becoming outdated, many political scientists are attracted by its intuitive simplicity.
Criticism
The evolving nature of welfare states often makes it difficult to categorize. Arguably, many welfare states have components from some or all typologies, making them more akin to points on a continuum rather than rigid typologies, a fact Esping-Andersen acknowledges in his writings.
According to French sociologist, Georges Menahem, Esping-Andersen's "decommodification index" aggregates both qualitative and quantitative variables for ”sets of dimensions” which fluid, and pertain to three very different areas. Similarly, Menahem has concerns regarding the validity of the index, and its potential for replication.
