Welfare Deservingness and Welfare Policy

Tijs Laenen, Postdoctoral Researcher, KU Leuven, Belgium and Tilburg University, the Netherlands

• Contents: Foreword Part I General Introduction, Theoretical Framework And Methodological Framework 1. Introduction: The Interaction Between Welfare Deservingness And Welfare Policy 2. Theoretical Framework: Deservingness, Policy Feedback And Policy Responsiveness 3. Methodological Framework: Welfare Support, Deservingness And Welfare State Policies Part II Empirical Chapters 4. A Universal Rank Order Of Deservingness? Geographical,Temporal And Social-Structural Comparisons 5. Public Support For The Social Rights And Social Obligations Of The Unemployed: Two Sides Of The Same Coin? 6. Why Deservingness Theory Needs Qualitative Research. Comparing Focus Group Discussions On Social Welfare In Three Welfare Regimes 7. Do Institutions Matter? The Interplay Between Income Benefit Design, Popular Perceptions And Support For Social Welfare 8. How Popular Deservingness Perceptions Mediate The Link Between Unemployment Policies And Their Public Support 9. The Absence Of Public Resistance Against The Retrenchment Of Unemployment Insurance In Denmark And The Netherlands. The Role Of Deservingness Perceptions Among Welfare Constituencies Part III General Conclusion And Discussion 10. Conclusion: What The Book Contributes And What It Leaves Open For Future Research References Index

'Welfare states are not just ''cold arrangements'', but rely on solidaristic commitments of citizens. Tijs Laenen (and chapter coauthors) makes a fresh and empirically sound contribution to the issue, ''who deserves what'' based on the framework of deservingness. The strengths of the book lie not only in the conceptual comprehensiveness, but in the insightful and well-crafted combination of quantitative and qualitative data.'--Steffen Mau, Humboldt University zu Berlin, Germany'A valuable book, that enhances understanding of welfare deservingness.'--Peter Taylor-Gooby, University of Kent, UK