Economies of Welfare

Martin Lengwiler Announcement
Location
Switzerland
Subject Fields
Business History / Studies, Government and Public Service, Labor History / Studies, Social Work, Sociology

Call for Papers

Conference

Economies of Welfare

January 26th/27th, 2017, Department of History, University of Basel

In modern capitalist societies the welfare state and the economy are intertwined in contradictory ways. As Claus Offe put it, capitalism can neither coexist with the welfare state nor exist without it. Historically, the formation of the welfare state can be understood as a dialectic reaction and a corrective to the destructive forces of disembedded markets. By moderating social risks and inequalities the welfare state civilizes capitalism und defuses social conflicts. However, welfare and the economy have never been complete opposites: along with the state, the family and civil society the market is an important actor in welfare production. Moreover, social security and redistribution depend on economic prosperity. Since the late 1970s the material as well as the ideational foundations of the post-war welfare state of the boom years have gradually crumbled away. The ensuing crises of financing, steering and legitimizing the welfare state have led to a far-reaching reconfiguration of the relationship between the state and the economy – a transformation which is most often described as neoliberal economization of the political and the
social. Public administrations are infused by market mechanisms, welfare production is increasingly privatized, and, as critics argue, social policy is subjected to economic policy (e.g. in the social investment paradigm). Yet at the same time there are widespread public calls for the “social responsibility” of the economy – not least by economic actors themselves. For instance,
the concept of “corporate social responsibility”, which dates back to the 1950s, is currently seeing a veritable revival.

Conference topics

As is well known, there is not the welfare state or the economy, but rather varieties of welfare regimes and capitalisms, in which state and economy interact in distinct patterns. The interdisciplinary conference will address these economies of welfare in different policy fields from historical and sociological perspectives alike. The focus is on the forms, implementation, development and transformations of welfare production since the 1960s. Analytically, the relation between welfare state and economy can be discussed on the level of actors, regulation mechanisms, discourses, and practices:

Actors and regulations: Which actors shape welfare arrangements in different social policy fields? By what means do they influence, implement, fight or obstruct certain policies and regulations? Different types of actors and coalitions can be relevant, not just from state and economy but also from civil society (e.g. trade unions, employers’ associations, NGOs, social
science) etc.

Discourses: Here, conceptualisations and legitimations of state and entrepreneurial forms of welfare production are of interest, for example concepts such as corporate culture, corporate ethics, or corporate social responsibility. On the macro-social level the focus might be on social policy discourses legitimizing welfare state transformation or on the shift of responsibilities induced by the neoliberal emphasis on the “personal responsibility” of welfare beneficiaries or of citizens in general.

Practices: From a praxeological perspective concrete forms of welfare production in state institutions, businesses and other organisations and institutions may be addressed. Analyses may pertain to interactions and interfaces of different actors and functions between and within organisations, or to the situation and strategies of those who are affected by certain welfare arrangements, policies and social risks (e.g. unemployment, poverty, age, disability and the like).

We welcome theoretical, empirical, and methodological contributions on these main subjects, or further aspects of the interrelation between the welfare state and the economy. Papers may pertain to international comparisons or to single national / local contexts. The publication of the conference papers is planned.

The deadline for abstract submission is March 31, 2016. Please send your abstract of 1-2 pages as PDF-document to: alan.canonica@unibas.ch

Organisers:
Prof. Dr. Martin Lengwiler
Department of History
University of Basel
martin.lengwiler@unibas.ch

Prof. Dr. Eva Nadai
School of Social Work
University of Applied Sciences
Northwestern Switzerland
eva.nadai@fhnw.ch

PD Dr. Peter Streckeisen
Institute of Sociology
University of Basel
p.streckeisen@unibas.ch

 

 

Contact Information

For questions and further information, please contact Alan Canonica, Department of History, University of Basel.

Contact Email
alan.canonica@unibas.ch