This multidisciplinary collection of essays by some of Europe's foremost Americanists deals with the United States as an island nation. America's trade policies, its foreign military ventures, its humor and its literature are all marked by the country's paradoxical desire to withdraw from the wider world beyond its oceans, while yet serving as its exemplar. The essays, covering aspects of legal and political studies, history and literature, probe the intersection between the national and the international. As such they constitute an important contribution to the study of America's self-definition. This volume offers a comparative and multidisciplinary inquiry into the welfare state of the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada.
Introductory chapters define the terms and present sociological reflections on the welfare state.
In twenty-five essays historians, sociologists, policy makers, literary scholars and film critics document the interactions and the differences between the three welfare systems. Their focus is on the United States, where recent developments have commanded the attention of European decision makers. The conclusion is that living in a welfare state need not be social nor secure, and therefore warrants critical reflection. PO Box 442 Concord MA 01742 tel.