Pierson noted that in recent years, huge upheavals have occurred in health care systems, pension benefits, and other aspects of the social safety nets in Europe and the United States. Though it is easy to suggest that the problems in these countries are being caused by changes in the global economy, Pierson said each country is unique and its problems are shaped by changes within the countries themselves, such as the expectations of the public and the specifics of the country's social safety net. All the countries are facing pressures. From a distance they look the same. When you look closer, you see they're different.
Common factors are present in the changes, however.
An economic slowdown in Europe over the past 25 years has had its effect, as has the shift from a manufacturing economy to a service economy. Furthermore, today's policymakers inherit commitments made under more favorable circumstances. Countries have piled social promise on social promise. In Europe, moves to cut the welfare state have produced large outcries, Pierson said. The reaction is because social programs are deeply embedded in these societies, affecting the daily lives of most citizens.