How many worlds of welfare state attitudes are there? European experiences in a comparative perspective of cross-national survey research

Abstract

The shape and scope of the welfare state in individual countries have been under consideration since the late 1970s. However, since the publication of The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism (1990), discussions have been framed by the Esping-Andersen proposal, which has had an enormous impact on research regarding welfare regimes. This article aims to determine how many worlds of the welfare state can be distinguished in the European context. The empirical analysis is based on the newest data about welfare attitudes, taken from the European Social Survey Round 8. An extended typology by Gøsta Esping-Andersen was used to formulate our research hypotheses, which include Mediterranean and post-socialist countries as separate models. The conclusions obtained as a result of a cross-country multilevel analysis confirm the existence of (a) five worlds of welfare state attitudes and (b) significant differences in particular areas when assessing states’ involvement in social policy in the adopted extended typology.