Abstract
It is well known that welfare states ensure a certain level of social protection affecting levels of well-being and the extent of inequalities in society. Changes within crucial domains of social policy, such as education, health, or social protection, have, therefore, a major effect upon individuals’ opportunities. In this article I compare the effects of these changes in two countries from the mid-1980s to the financial crisis of 2008. Portugal that was a latecomer in welfare state development and Denmark was at the forefront of de-commodification and universalization of social rights. The conclusion of this article is that income inequality has been steadily increasing in Danish society; while in Portugal, despite improvements in many social domains (healthcare, poverty alleviation, unemployment protection), problems of inequality remain deeply embedded in the country’s social and institutional structures.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Social Policy and Administration |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 1 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-23 |
Number of pages | 23 |
ISSN | 0144-5596 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 |
Keywords
- Welfare state regimes
- Welfare state outcomes
- Inequality
- Portugal
- Denmark