Title: The welfare of nations /
Authors: Bartholomew, James, 1950-
Year: 2016
Subjects: Welfare state.; Welfare state
Abstract: What damage is being done by failing welfare states? What lessons can be learned from the best welfare states? And-is it too late to stop welfare states from permanently diminishing the lives and liberties of people around the world? Traveling around the globe, James Bartholomew examines welfare models, searching for the best education, health care, and support services in 11 vastly different countries; illuminating the advantages and disadvantages of other nations' welfare states; and delving into crucial issues such as literacy, poverty, and inequality. This is a hard-hitting and provocative contribution to understanding how welfare states, as the defining form of government today, are changing the very nature of modern civilization.
Contents: Why are so many Swedish people disabled?: the world of welfare from Opheltas to Bismarck to the clever research of Kathryn Edin -- Heart of Darkness: welfare states and unemployment -- In search of the best health care system in the world: rather like looking for the lost ark of the convenant -- "Daisy, cross your fingers": the scandal of state education -- "Do I have 'stupid' tattooed on my forehead?": social housing-apple pie with poison in the filling -- "In our liberal scoiety, there is a group of staunchly conservative people-children": inconvenient truths about parenting -- "People used to be grateful and eager. Now the attitude is, 'I want this. You get it for me.'": the effect of welfare states on behavior -- Not to be read by anyone under the age of 40: pensions and their unexpected consequences -- "While her dear father lived, any change of condition must be impossible for her. She would never quit him": who cares for the elderly? -- "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others": the public sector -- "It's like putting all bus drivers through astronauts' training": the training and qualifications bonanza -- Democracy is like a drunk husband: the trouble with representative democracies -- And the winner is...(communism capitalism) welfare statism!: summary -- Appendices -- Afterword -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index.