Policy convergence and policy learning have emerged as central themes in the study of public policy in recent years. Previously published as a special issue of German Politics, this landmark volume complements the rich literature on theoretical aspects as well as individual case studies by undertaking a systematic comparison of policy convergence between two specific countries, the UK and Germany.

Essay aus dem Jahr 2009 im Fachbereich Politik - Politische Systeme allgemein und im Vergleich, Note: A, South Bank University London (Faculty of Art and Human Sciences), Veranstaltung: European Policy - Seminar "Comparative Analysis", Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: After investigating the active employment measures of the United Kingdom and Germany as well as their reforms of the Employment Services since the creation of the European Employment Strategy in 1997, it can be said that Germany adapted huge parts of the British system. The British set the European Employment Strategy’s agenda and extended their policy model to the European level. Via the European Employment Strategy, the British system significantly changed the German one from a highly protective to a liberal model. The German state transferred the responsibility for protection from employment related “common risks of life” to the citizens, reducing its own measures to supporting services and a mere “guarantee of survival”. Although this convergence of Employment Policy was caused by the European Employment Strategy, it did not contribute to the merging of a unified European Employment Policy or to a public awareness of the European Union’s role in this policy area. While Germany obviously respected the European Employment Strategy as a “superior guidance” and treated it as a self standing “European Policy”, the British used it to extend the reach of their national policies. A real integration of national policies into an EU-policy did not happen. In the United Kingdom as well as in Germany, the reforms of the employment policies have not been determined and implemented in a process of broad public participation but mostly as a “top-down” process, with decisions made by a professional elite. The European Employment Strategy with its set of policy methods (Open Methods of Cooperation) had not been able to reach its goals of a more democratic policy making and more public awareness of an independent role of the European Union in employment policy.

This innovative textbook provides an in-depth analysis and account of the state of public administration and recent administrative reforms in European countries. It introduces key features of public administration in six European countries, by

Europe Under Stress: Convergence and Divergence in the European Community is the second of two volumes which flow from a Chatham House project on the political implications of economic divergence in the European Community, funded by the Social Science Research Council. This second volume offers an interpretation of the problems that divergence poses for the European Community in a number of key sectors, from the perspective of a political economist. This book begins with a discussion of the concepts of convergence and divergence followed by an explanation of the methodology adopted in this book. The remaining chapters are organized into two parts. The chapters in Part I examine the attitudes of the major EEC member states to the convergence/divergence issue and what the terms mean for each of them. This part also attempts to relate these positions to the concerns and interests of the countries involved. The chapters in Part II analyze the impact of economic divergence on community policies.

This book examines the intricate challenges faced by women and families during the transition to motherhood. It presents unique theoretical and methodological approaches to studying women’s transition from being employees to working mothers. Its focus is on the impact of work on the transition to motherhood, and the impact of motherhood on women’s working arrangements, work attitudes, work experiences and perspectives. Special attention is given to intervention research that can enhance the health and well-being of mothers and employers as they reconcile demands of the family-work interface. Integrating theoretical framework development and methodological considerations, this book provides an in-depth introduction to the topic. It brings together researchers and experts on the work-family interface, on workplace discrimination during pregnancy and early motherhood, and well-being.

One World of Welfare offers a systematic, comparative examination of Japan's welfare policies and a critical assessment of previous research. Gregory J. Kasza rejects the view that the Japanese welfare system is unique; he challenges the nearly universal belief that the postwar Japanese state neglected welfare to promote rapid economic growth; he rejects the claim that there is a regional welfare model in East Asia; and he uses the Japanese case to question the dominant framework for comparative welfare research. The author explores the relevance of both convergence and divergence theories for understanding the Japanese record and spotlights the importance of international influences on the timing and content of Japan's welfare policies. This book offers a fresh comparative template for research on Japanese public policy. Case studies of Japan have often exaggerated its distinctiveness. Comparative research documents points of similarity as well as difference; it unearths the foreign models that have swayed Japan's policymakers; and it reveals what others might learn from Japan's experience. Most of the welfare challenges that Japan has faced over the last century have resembled those confronting other nations, and the Japanese have often patterned their welfare policies after those of Western countries. Japan's welfare system must be understood within a broader pattern of global policy diffusion.