Arthur Gould, Developments in Swedish Social Policy: Resisting Dionysus. - book review

Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, March, 2003 by James Midgley

Michel Peillon's book on social welfare in Ireland also makes explicit use of the role of cultural instotutions to explain the evolution and features of the country's welfare system. However, Peillon employs the ideas of Pierre Bourdieu, and particularly his notion of a social field, to frame his analysis. He adapts Bourdieu's argument that the amount of cultural and other forms of capital the actors in the field control, is primarily responsible for determining outcomes. He contends that an understanding of welfare in Ireland requires an analysis of the way different actors in the `welfare field' struggle to dominate and shape the welfare system for their own purposes. The major actors in the Irish welfare field are the state, the Catholic Church, the trade unions, the business community, voluntary organizations and the feminist movement. Peillon discusses their roles and activities in some depth, and shows how the nation's complex mix of welfare policies and programs have emerged from these struggles. While Peillon focuses primarily on the role of domestic forces in the welfare field, he is also mindful the British colonial legacy, the country's membership of the European community and its continued relationship with the United Kingdom. He suggests that Ireland may be viewed as a peripheral European country which has experienced a dependent pattern of economic development. This is another important factor in understanding the country's welfare system.

Both books show how far comparative scholarship based on the country case study format has come. They have not only transcended the bland descriptive approach which characterized earlier research, but offer a refreshing departure from the typological obsession which now dominates international social welfare. While much comparative scholarship is today preoccupied with classifying national welfare systems, these books provide far more useful insights into the dynamics of welfare systems. Both offer a richer and more nuanced interpretation of how social welfare institutions operate in the context of culture, traditions and beliefs. They may be limited in their geographic coverage, and may criticized for being excessively concerned with the details of particular national policies and programs, but they show the importance of referencing cultural factors when seeking to understand and interpret welfare. Gould's emphasis on national cultural preferences in Sweden, and Peillon's account of the Irish welfare field, reveal an innovative and impressive application of theory. Peillon's analysis role of the Catholic Church in influencing social welfare policy in Ireland is particularly interesting at a time that religious involvement in social welfare is again being recognized and appreciated. Both books should be essential reading for anyone engaged in international and comparative social welfare today.

James Midgley
University of California, Berkeley