Beyond neoliberalism? Revisiting the welfare state in the Baltic states

Avlijaš, Sonja (2020) Beyond neoliberalism? Revisiting the welfare state in the Baltic states. Europe-Asia Studies, 72 (4). pp. 614-643. ISSN 1465-3427

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Abstract

Scholars of political economy have criticised the Baltic states’ transition to capitalism as socially ‘disembedded’ and shaped by a zealous form of neoliberalism. This article argues that the Baltic welfare states have experienced a more complex post-socialist transformation than suggested by the ‘neoliberal retrenchment’ narrative, which relies on the traditional definition of the welfare state and focuses solely on cash compensation for the ‘losers’ of transition. By uncovering higher investment in education, more generous labour market policies and a larger expansion of public sector employment than in the Visegrád countries, the article uncovers social investment oriented welfare states in the Baltic.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ceas20/current
Additional Information:	© 2020 University of Glasgow
Divisions:	European Institute
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DR Balkan Peninsula H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
Date Deposited:	21 Nov 2018 16:09
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2024 21:45
Funders:	French National Research Agency
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/90647

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