Rich Democracies
Subtitle: Political Economy, Public Policy, and Performance
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: July 1, 2002
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 922
ISBN-13: 9780520232792
Subjects: Political economy; Political structures: democracy; Politics/International Relations; Political Ideologies - Democracy; Political Science; Politics / Current Events; Public Policy - General; Political Science / General; General; Cas, âEtudes de; Case studies; Comparative government; Welfare state; âEtat providence
First sentence: As we search for the shape of modern society, it helps to focus on these questions: As rich countries get richer do they become more alike in social structure, culture, and politics?
Description: In this culmination of 30 years of systematic, comprehensive comparison of 19 rich democracies which draws on quantitative data, case studies, and interviews covering the last 50 years, Wilensky answers two basic questions: (1) What is distinctly modern about modern societies--in what ways are they becoming alike? (2) How do variations in types of political economy shape system performance? He specifies similarities and differences in the structure and interplay of government, political parties, the mass media, industry, labor, professions, agriculture, churches, and voluntary associations. He then demonstrates how differences in bargaining arrangements among these groups lead to contrasting policy profiles and patterns of taxing and spending, which in turn explain a large number of outcomes: economic performance, political legitimacy, equality, job security, safety and risk, real health, the reduction of poverty and environmental threats, and the effectiveness and fairness of regulatory regimes. [publisher web site].