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A two-step approach for the analysis of hybrids in comparative social policy analysis: a nuanced typology of childcare between policies and regimes

Abstract:
Typologies have represented an important tool for the development of comparative social policy research and continue to be widely used in spite of growing criticism of their ability to capture the complexity of welfare states and their internal heterogeneity. In particular, debates have focused on the presence of hybrid cases and the existence of distinct cross-national pattern of variation across areas of social policy. There is growing awareness around these issues, but empirical research often still relies on methodologies aimed at classifying countries in a limited number of unambiguous types. This article proposes a two-step approach based on fuzzy-set ideal type analysis for the systematic analysis of hybrids at the level of both policies (step 1) and policy configurations or combinations of policies (step 2). This approach is demonstrated by using the case of childcare policies in European economies. In the first step, parental leave policies are analysed using three methods-direct, indirect, and combinatory-to identify and describe specific hybrid forms at the level of policy analysis. In the second step, the analysis moves on to investigate the relationship between parental leave and childcare services. Clearly shows that many countries display characteristics normally associated with different types (hybrids and sub-types) . Therefore, this two-step approach demonstrates that disaggregated and aggregated analyses are equally important to account for hybrid welfare forms and make sense of the tensions and incongruences within and between policies.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1007/s11135-016-0423-1

Authors


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Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
SSD
Department:
Social Policy & Intervention
Oxford college:
Green Templeton College
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0001-6745-737X


Publisher:
Springer Nature
Journal:
Quality and Quantity More from this journal
Volume:
51
Issue:
6
Pages:
2761-2780
Place of publication:
Netherlands
Publication date:
2016-10-13
Acceptance date:
2016-09-27
DOI:
EISSN:
1573-7845
ISSN:
0033-5177
Pmid:
29070917


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1117284
Local pid:
pubs:1117284
Deposit date:
2020-07-20

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