置福利國家於資本主義生產體制的脈絡——一個福利國家研究的新觀點

Joseph Schumpter once claimed to be able to detect the thunder of world history in accounts of public finance. Fiscal topics issues of the budget, taxation, the growth of state spending best revealed the spirit of a people, its cultural level, its social structure. The development of the welfare state is a topic which similarly conceals questions utmost importance under matters that may at first seem merely technical and abstruse. Social insurance, old-age pensions. worker's compensation. actuarial risk, waiting time, point indexation and cost-of-living differentials rarely seem the stuff of dramatic narrative. In fact, approached from the right angle, the nuts and bolts of social policy testify to the heated struggles of classes and interests. The battles behind the welfare state lay bare the structure and conflict of modern society.