A central dilemma in studying changing welfare state in a comparative perspective is the so-called ‘dependent variable problem’, which recognizes that changes in welfare systems can cover many dimensions and questions and there are many variables that are relevant in explaining change. Welfare politics is highly endogenous, and welfare systems across Europe (and beyond) differ tremendously in terms of spending levels, composition, policy design, and redistributive profiles. In making comparative sense of changing welfare states, scholars adopt different theoretical concepts, research approaches and methodologies, focusing either on electoral competition, changing ideas and narratives, institutions, socio-economic problem pressures, or international interdependencies.
In this roundtable, we ask leading scholars in the field to reflect on why and how they have chosen their research questions, methodologies, and research approaches to study changing welfare states. The goal is to have an open dialogue about the merits and drawbacks of the variety of approaches and see where they overlap, complement, or may even contradict one another. As such, this roundtable is especially useful for students when deciding which research approach to adopt.
Hybrid event. The link to the session will be provided following registration.