The nature of the relationship between children, parents and the state has been central to the growth of the welfare state and has long been a problem for western liberal democracies. This book examines the implications of social policies for children, and sets the discussion in the context of family change and welfare state change.

Contents: 1. Introduction: Children in the Context of Changing Families and Welfare States Jane Lewis PART I: CHILDREN AS A SOCIAL INVESTMENT 2. The LEGO™ Paradigm and New Social Risks: Consequences for Children Jane Jenson 3. An Agenda for Children: Investing in the Future or Promoting Well-being in the Present? Ruth Lister PART II: PAYING FOR CHILDREN 4. Child Benefit Packages in 15 Countries in 2004 Jonathan Bradshaw 5. Paying for the Costs of Children in Eight North European Countries: Ambivalent Trends Ulla Björnberg 6. Paying for Children: Current Issues and Implications of Policy Debates Fran Bennett PART III: CARING FOR CHILDREN 7. Cultures of Childhood and the Relationship of Care and Employment in European Welfare States Birgit Pfau-Effinger 8. From a Childcare to a Pedagogical Discourse – Or Putting Care in its Place Peter Moss 9. The OECD and the Work/Family Reconciliation Agenda: Competing Frames Rianne Mahon PART IV: CHILDREN AND THE SEARCH FOR A WORK–LIFE BALANCE 10. Childcare in a Changing World: Policy Responses to Working Time Flexibility in France Marie-Thérèse Letablier 11. Work Life Balance from the Children’s Perspective Ute Klammer 12. Squeezed between Two Agendas: Work and Childcare in the Flexible UK Diane Perrons 13. Men and Women’s Agency and Capabilities to Create a Work Life Balance in Diverse and Changing Institutional Contexts Barbara Hobson, Ann-Zolfe Duvander and Karin Halldén Index