Welfare State Classification: The Development of Central Eastern European Welfare
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| 4.2 Operationalisation This paragraph will discuss a number of issues concerning the operationalisation of the aspects and concepts used in this study. However, this paragraph will start off with the argumentation behind the choices made concerning the two countries which and the policy fields which are analyzed. First of all, the two countries of which the development of the welfare state is will be reviewed, namely Slovakia and Poland, are part of the so called Vizegrad countries. This is a platform, consisting of four Central-Eastern European countries, which discussed the development and direction of the CEE welfare states after the collapse of the communist regime. In other words, Poland and Slovakia were 23 part a group of countries which deliberately discussed the future of their welfare state. The two countries were chosen randomly out of the four Vizegrad countries. The policy fields which will be reviewed firmly, namely the health-care sector, the pension system, labour-market policies and family benefits have been chosen based on the existing literature on the development of CEE welfare states. Many studies focus on the developments of these aspects of the welfare state. As a result a vast amount of empirical data concerning these aspects is available. A complete review of the development of the welfare states of Slovakia and Poland can be based on this empirical data. An important question which needs to be addressed in a proper scientific study concerns the measurement of concepts used during the analysis. In this study, the development of the object of study, the welfare states of Slovakia and Poland, is measured by certain criteria, which are based on the literature. In other words, the next part of this study will discuss the criteria used to fit certain development into on of Esping-Andersen’s welfare types and into either a policy diffusion perspective or a path-dependence perspective. First of all, the criteria used in this study to fit the development of both welfare states will be reviewed. As described in chapter two, Esping-Andersen distinguishes three welfare types, namely the liberal, social-democratic and conservative type. The liberal welfare states can be characterized by little government interference, privatization and an emphasize on self-responsibility. Criteria used in this study which need to be met in order to fit into the liberal welfare type are privatization, increasing self-responsibility, decentralization and decreasing importance of the government or state. Thus, when a development of for example the health-care system in Poland leans towards one or more of these criteria, it will fit into the liberal welfare type. The social-democratic welfare states, in general characterized by universal, Beverigdean welfare programs, generosity, guaranteed minimum incomes and a relative importance of the government. Hence, the criteria used in this study in order to fit developments of the welfare state into the social-democratic welfare type are universal coverage, extensive and generous services and poverty reduction. Lastly, conservative welfare states are often characterized by Bismarckian, work-related welfare programs and means- tested services. The importance of the government can be described a medium. Criteria used in this study to fit developments of the analyzed welfare states in the conservative welfare type are work- related, protection of workers, means-tested and a medium important role of the government. The table (4.1) below is gives an overview of the criteria described above. Download 374.54 Kb. Share with your friends:
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