Going mainstream – feminist influence on comparative welfare state research
This chapter aims at reviewing some of the most important developments in feminist research on the welfare state. The first section outlines the core of the debate between the feminists and mainstream literature, often centred on the critique of Esping-Andersen’s Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, the second one presents some alternative typologies developed for gender-centred comparative analyses of welfare states. Thirdly, I will review this scholarship in the light of the developments in Central and Eastern Europe. The fourth section briefly touches upon thechallenges for current feminist debates, especially with regard to the politics of the welfare state, strategic dilemmas and varieties of feminist standpoints.
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