Welfare State Classification: The Development of Central Eastern European Welfare
Methodology and Operationalisation
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| 4. Methodology and Operationalisation 4.1 Introduction This research will follow the classical order which is present in most social science studies. First of all, the main theoretical findings, thus literature concerning this topic, are examined. This is followed by the operationalization of concepts used, the selection of areas of study, the collection and analysis of data and the presentation of the main findings. The main aim of this study is to analyze whether the welfare states of Poland and Slovakia are developing towards a welfare state which can be classified as on of Esping-Andersen’s welfare regimes or if they are developing towards a hybrid system which combines elements of these regimes. By analyzing the institutional changes which have taken place between 1995 en 2005 one can review the architecture of the welfare states. In this study four aspects of the welfare state will be analyzed, namely social security, pension systems, welfare state financing and family benefits. Many studies (among others Clayton & Pontusson 1998; Fenger 2007) focus on social spending of welfare states. This method of research has a number of shortcomings. First of all, understanding the social implications of broad spending categories requires a more fine-grained analysis of how spending is actually directed (Esping-Andersen 1990). Secondly, governments have other means for achieving social objectives beyond spending. A decrease of social spending might be the result of organizational changes that have improved efficiency and reduced social expenditures. At the same time, a decline in spending can also reflect to measures which stimulate individuals to manage risk and acquire services on their own, for example mandated savings programs (Gilbert 2002). Mainly due to the shortcomings described above this study will focus on the analysis of institutional changes that have taken place within a particular period. When looking at these institutional changes, one can give insight to the architecture of the welfare states. In other words, when looking at the development of the pension system in a particular welfare state, one can review the decisions and thoughts on which these developments were based. This way one can assess why certain welfare states have chosen for example to privatize its pension system. Again, when analyzing these changes one should review what the main reasons for these changes were. When looking at the privatization of the pension system in CEE countries, one can conclude that this was stimulated by the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (Braun & Gilardi 2006). This is an example of why certain institutional changes have taking place. This study will, again, analyze four aspects of social policy of both Poland and Slovakia. This assessment will contribute to solve the puzzle of this study. Download 374.54 Kb. Share with your friends:
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