Gøsta Esping-Andersen
Encyclopedia
Gøsta Esping-Andersen is a Danish sociologist whose primary focus is on the welfare state
and its place in capitalist economies
. Esping-Andersen is a professor
at Pompeu Fabra University
in Barcelona
(Spain
), and member of the Scientific Committee of the Juan March Institute
and of the Board of Trustees and the Scientific Council at the IMDEA Social Sciences Institute, both in Madrid
(Spain
).
s, in which modern developed capitalist nations cluster:
Later, he proposed another type:
It is important to note that these categories have little to do with the contemporary labels of American politics
, and rather have much more to do with general political theory. The traditional examples of the three types of welfare states are the United States
(liberal), Germany
(corporatist-statist) and Sweden
(social democratic). Mediterranean model is a label for Italy, Spain or Greece, where the family network is important to provide welfare.
Other sociologists and political scientists went on to apply his theoretical analysis to the real world. One such example is a book entitled Real Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, written by Robert E. Goodin, Bruce Headey, Ruud Muffels, and Henk-Jan Dirven. While some critics claim Esping-Andersen's categories are becoming outdated, many political scientists are attracted by its intuitive simplicity.
Second, Esping-Andersen used a statistical tool which he called a ”decommodification index" in order to illustrate the relevance of its typology. But, according to a French sociologist, this index aggregates both qualitative and quantitative variables for ”sets of dimensions” which are very different and pertain to three very different areas. As we do not know the conventions used to calculate the three scores of which the index is the mean, we cannot reproduce it and test it on other dates or countries.
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
and its place in capitalist economies
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
. Esping-Andersen is a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at Pompeu Fabra University
Pompeu Fabra University
Pompeu Fabra University is a university in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is widely considered to be one of the best universities in Spain and in Europe, and was ranked 1st in scientific productivity in Spain in 2009. Founded in 1990, it is named after the Catalan philologist Pompeu Fabra...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), and member of the Scientific Committee of the Juan March Institute
Juan March Institute
The Juan March Institute, located in Madrid, Spain, is part of the Juan March Foundation, one of Spain's charities for social research. The objective of the institute is to achieve an effect equally through scientific publications and training the next academic generation...
and of the Board of Trustees and the Scientific Council at the IMDEA Social Sciences Institute, both in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
).
Major works
His major and most influential book was titled The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Published in 1990, the book laid out three main types of welfare stateWelfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
s, in which modern developed capitalist nations cluster:
- Liberal
- Corporatist-Statist
- Social Democratic
Later, he proposed another type:
- Mediterranean
It is important to note that these categories have little to do with the contemporary labels of American politics
American politics
American politics is an area of study within the academic discipline of political science. It is primarily, but not exclusively, studied by researchers in the United States...
, and rather have much more to do with general political theory. The traditional examples of the three types of welfare states are the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(liberal), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(corporatist-statist) and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(social democratic). Mediterranean model is a label for Italy, Spain or Greece, where the family network is important to provide welfare.
Other sociologists and political scientists went on to apply his theoretical analysis to the real world. One such example is a book entitled Real Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, written by Robert E. Goodin, Bruce Headey, Ruud Muffels, and Henk-Jan Dirven. While some critics claim Esping-Andersen's categories are becoming outdated, many political scientists are attracted by its intuitive simplicity.
Critics
First, in empirical studies, the three typologies often cannot be distinguished. More in general, it is difficult to characterize a complex mechanism such as a 'welfare state' in one of three categories (as Esping Andersen himself acknowledges). Many welfare states have components of all typologies in the system.Second, Esping-Andersen used a statistical tool which he called a ”decommodification index" in order to illustrate the relevance of its typology. But, according to a French sociologist, this index aggregates both qualitative and quantitative variables for ”sets of dimensions” which are very different and pertain to three very different areas. As we do not know the conventions used to calculate the three scores of which the index is the mean, we cannot reproduce it and test it on other dates or countries.