Abstract

A characteristic of welfare state theories in the 1970s and 1980s was the recurrent prediction of crisis and even downfall of the welfare state. However, empirical studies tended to offer little if any confirmation of the radical changes that these theories prophesied. Welfare state research in the early 1990s further documented empirically that welfare states have been remarkably resistant to change notwithstanding the mounting challenges they face. Institutional theories identified the crucial mechanisms that explain welfare state persistence. This article raises two questions: 1) to what extent has institutional resilience characterized welfare state development in the 1980s and 1990s; 2) to what extent are institutional theories capable of identifying institutional and policy changes that do occur?

How to Cite:

van Kersbergen, K., (1999) “De weerstand van verzorgingsstaten tegen verandering”, Tijdschrift voor Sociologie 20(1), 5–24. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86463