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The Politics of Reforms in Bismarckian Welfare Systems: The Cases of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia

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  • Cerami, Alfio

Abstract

This paper briefly explores the social policy developments in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia since the first establishment of Bismarck institutions in the period antecedent to the end of World War II. In particular, it asks how and to what extent Bismarck institutions survived, adapted and evolved during the communist and post-communist social policy re-organization, as well as asking what is the new internal structure of these welfare states in transition. The main argument is that the four Vizégrad countries have built their contemporary welfare state on the ruins and with the ruins of the welfare state they had previously introduced, and that these welfare states are facing a process of internal restructuring that leads to a hybridization of the system. The paper also identifies four main welfare reform trajectories occurring since World War II. These correspond to: the golden age, the era of forced expansion, the era of retrenchment’s attempts and the era beyond retrenchment.

Suggested Citation

  • Cerami, Alfio, 2006. "The Politics of Reforms in Bismarckian Welfare Systems: The Cases of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia," MPRA Paper 92271, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:92271
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    Cited by:

    1. Cerami, Alfio, 2006. "New Social Policy Ideas in the Making: The Case of Central and Eastern Europe," MPRA Paper 8482, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Mariola Piłatowska & Dorota Witkowska, 2022. "Gender Segregation at Work over Business Cycle—Evidence from Selected EU Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-19, August.
    3. Offe, Claus & Fuchs, Susanne, 2007. "Welfare state formation in the enlarged European union – Patterns of reform in the post-communist new member states [Die Entwicklung von Wohlfahrtsstaaten in der erweiterten Europäischen Union – Re," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Global Governance SP IV 2007-306, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cold War; Central and Eastern Europe; Social Policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
    • N4 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation
    • O57 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries
    • P16 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Institutions; Welfare State
    • P2 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies
    • P36 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Consumer Economics; Health; Education and Training; Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Poverty
    • P51 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Comparative Economic Systems - - - Comparative Analysis of Economic Systems

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