"This book presents a new step farther into the twenty-first century, for the first time truly combining a comprehensive global data analysis with social policy theory development. The theory of global ideal-typical welfare regimes, also known as the “Ten Worlds of Welfare Regime Theory”, as...

This paper analyses past developments and future challenges of welfare state systems in Japan and China, comparing the two countries history in constructing and adapting their welfare state systems. The paper uses the concept of welfare state systems to better reflect particularistic features of...

Today, we understand that the comparative study of welfare state systems, and in particular social security systems, is not developed a great deal in global perspective. But it is also true that the existing body of knowledge on comparative study of welfare state systems is out of date, even in...

This paper sets out to discuss the new organizing concept of the human capital welfare state (a special type of a social investment welfare state). It starts with the beginning of new organizing principles for the welfare state of the last one or two decades, such as the Third Way in the United...

Since the ideologically coloured meaning of the 'welfare state', implying a massive level of redistribution and high government spending in the field of social policy, does not match the reality of a number of today's welfare state systems, especially outside Europe, this article examines the...