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At the Margins of the Welfare State Social Assistance and the Alleviation of Poverty in Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom Christina Behrendt Publisher: Ashgate Series: Studies in Cash & Care The persistence of poverty in advanced welfare states casts doubt on the fundamental operating procedures of income distribution and redistribution. What are the reasons for this apparent failure of the welfare state in alleviating poverty? Why are some countries more effective than others in this respect and what can explain these variations in effectiveness? Addressing one of the major puzzles in comparative welfare state research, this unique volume adopts a fresh perspective to examine why there is income poverty in highly developed welfare states. Focusing on the basic safety net of the welfare state, it offers a systematic and innovative analysis of the effectiveness of minimum income schemes in a comparative study across three highly developed welfare states: Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Blending insights from a combination of institutional information and quantitative data from income surveys, the author evaluates the causal mechanisms for the persistence of income poverty in highly developed welfare states and derives conclusions for political reforms. Contents Welfare states and the alleviation of poverty; Poverty and poverty alleviation in industrialized welfare states: what do we know?; Mapping the reduction of poverty through minimum income schemes; Methodological puzzles and pitfalls in the measurement of poverty; Is the entire population eligible for social assistance benefits?; Do social assistance schemes provide adequate benefits?; Do social assistance schemes encourage take-up?; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index. Reviews 'Anyone interested in a fresh and well-written view of the European welfare state in comparative perspective will find this book both indispensable and enthralling. The book should be essential reading for all comparative social policy analysts and students.' Timothy M. Smeeding, Maxwell Professor of Public Policy and Economics at Syracuse University and President, New York, USA 'This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of minimum income protection in the alleviation of poverty. Its fruitful combination of detailed institutional analysis and individual level income distribution gives new insights to some of the redistributive processes in contemporary welfare states. The book should be considered by all those interested in social policy and poverty.' Walter Korpi, Professor of Social Policy, Stockholm University, Sweden 'Thanks to research contributions over the past decade, we now start to get an understanding of the institutional diversity of social assistance schemes in Europe. By focussing on the extent to which these schemes fulfil their main purpose, to alleviate poverty, this book represents an important contribution to the study of social security. The insight offered here is all the more important as welfare states (now) abandon the 20th century ambition of doing away with social assistance (and these schemes will continue to be last resort safety net for the most vulnerable groups in our societies).' Dr Ivar Lødemel, Senior Research Fellow, Oslo University College ISBN: 0 7546 1996 6 Publication Date: 10/2002 Number of Pages: 258 pages Binding: Hardback British Library Reference: 362.5'82'0941 Library of Congress Reference: 2002066594