Chicken or egg? Global economic crisis or ideological retrenchment from welfare in three European countries

Abstract

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Introduction to the Handbook on Austerity, Populism and the Welfare State

“…One problem with the analysis of austerity and retrenchment is that even if the same amount of, or more, resources are available, there is still also the question of how to prioritize resources and what to focus on in the different welfare states' development (Judd et al 2015). Thus, it might be that there is reduction in one part of the welfare state, while at the same time expansion in other parts; however, in such cases, the use of the word austerity as a generic term for the development as a whole is misleading.…”