Open Varieties of Capitalism

UWE BECKER is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Earlier publications include Employment Miracles (2005; ed. with H.Schwartz), Europese Democratieën (1999), Kapitalistische Dynamik und Politisches Kräftespiel (1986) as well as articles in relevant journals like Socio-Economic Review, New Political Economy and Journal of European Social Policy.

• Introduction Capitalist Varieties as Open Systems Capitalist Diversity, Typologies and Ideal Types Types, and Cases as Historical Constellations Pressures, Changes, Path Continuity Socio-Economic Performances Conclusion and Prospects Bibliography Index

'In this book, Uwe Becker provides the last word on the varieties of capitalism in all their varieties. He combines reasoned critique with a highly innovative argument in which he conceives of capitalist political economies as open systems, and for which he identifies four ideal-types. A must-read for those interested in understanding capitalism in all its complexity.' - Vivien A. Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration, Boston University, USA'Uwe Becker has produced an essential analysis of the varieties of capitalism perspective. He subjects its theoretical underpinnings, methodological approaches and empirical findings to sustained and intense critical evaluation. The result is a book full of ideas, empirical data and theoretical challenges that will be required reading for anybody interested in the area.' - Glenn Morgan, Warwick Business School, UK'Have you ever wondered about the value of stylized variants of Varieties of Capitalism or Legal Families, notably their performance implications? Here is your best bet for a thorough empirical synthesis and critique, a book which in detail analyzes why different countries perform differently in different ways. It comes just in time.' - Arndt Sorge, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin, Germany and University of Groningen, The Netherlands