A state-of-the-art assessment of welfare provision, policy and reform at national and at EU level which spans the whole of Europe - East, West and Central. Uniquely broad-ranging in scope, and covering the latest research findings and theoretical debates, it provides a genuinely comparative overview text for students of twenty-first-century Europe.

Introduction European Welfare Capitalism in Good Times and Bad Varieties of European Welfare Capitalism Globalization, Europeanization and the Welfare State Competitiveness and the Welfare State European Integration and Welfare Capitalism Convergence and Divergence in European Welfare Trajectories European Welfare Capitalism in Hard Times.

'Every decade or so a book comes along that defines research in the comparative political economy of the advanced industrial states. If the 1990s belonged to Esping-Andersen and the 2000s to Hall and Soskice, the next decade belongs to Hay and Wincott. Combining historical synthesis, comparative analysis, and cutting-edge theory, they give us a refreshing and insightful account of the genesis, evolution, and transformation of European welfare states. Critically interrogating the impact of globalization, regionalization and competitiveness on these states, Hay and Wincott recast the evolution of European Welfare Capitalism as always and everywhere a political struggle over market imperatives.' - Mark Blyth, Brown University, USA 'This masterful and highly original reassessment demonstrates that more welfare state rather than less can go hand in hand with competitiveness; that European integration, not globalization, better explains welfare state transformation; and that different clusters of welfare capitalism are diverging further rather than converging. A 'must-read' for anyone who wants to understand not only what is wrong but also what is right about the European welfare state.' - Vivien Schmidt, Boston University, USA 'Un tour de force. Combining ambitious, rich and precise analysis with a wealth of effectively deployed empirical data, this is comparative political economy at its best. The concluding chapter on the impact of the current crisis on the evolution of European welfare states in particular is not to be missed.' - Patrick le Gales, Centre d'etudes europeennes, Sciences Po France and King's College London, UK

Every decade or so a book comes along that defines research in the comparative political economy of the advanced industrial states. If the 1990s belonged to Esping-Andersen and the 2000s to Hall and Soskice, the next decade belongs to Hay and Wincott. Combining historical synthesis, comparative analysis, and cutting-edge theory, they give us a refreshing and insightful account of the genesis, evolution, and transformation of European welfare states. Critically interrogating the impact of globalization, regionalization and competitiveness on these states, Hay and Wincott recast the evolution of European Welfare Capitalism as always and everywhere a political struggle over market imperatives.' - Mark Blyth, Brown University, USA 'This masterful and highly original reassessment demonstrates that more welfare state rather than less can go hand in hand with competitiveness; that European integration, not globalization, better explains welfare state transformation; and that different clusters of welfare capitalism are diverging further rather than converging. A 'must-read' for anyone who wants to understand not only what is wrong but also what is right about the European welfare state.' - Vivien Schmidt, Boston University, USA 'Un tour de force. Combining ambitious, rich and precise analysis with a wealth of effectively deployed empirical data, this is comparative political economy at its best. The concluding chapter on the impact of the current crisis on the evolution of European welfare states in particular is not to be missed.' - Patrick le Gales, Centre d'etudes europeennes, Sciences Po France and King's College London, UK

This major series of concise thematically-organized texts is designed to provide state-of-the-art overviews of the key aspects of contemporary Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals for a broad student and serious general readership. Written by leading authorities in a lively and accessible style without assuming prior knowledge, each title will contribute to current knowledge and debate in its particular field.