This volume takes stock of 'the state of the welfare state': How do welfare states change? How did the reforms of pension systems develop in OECD countries? How viable are today's advanced welfare states in the international economy? How may we recast the European welfare states for the twenty-first century?

1. Welfare state futures: an introduction Stephan Leibfried and Herbert Obinger; 2. Towards a theory of the welfare state Franz-Xaver Kaufmann; 3. The dog that didn't bark: economic development and the post-war welfare state Francis G. Castles; 4. How do welfare states change? Institutions and their impact on the politics of welfare state reform in Western Europe Giuliano Bonoli and Bruno Palier; 5. Elephants on the move: patterns of public pension reform in OECD countries Karl Hinrichs; 6. The Nordic welfare state in a European context: dealing with new economic and ideological challenges in the 1990s Stein Kuhnle; 7. The viability of advanced welfare states in the international economy: vulnerabilities and options Fritz W. Scharpf; 8. Recasting European welfare states for the 21st century Maurizio Ferrera, Anton Hemerijck and Martin Rhodes.