Labor divided. Union structure and the development of the postwar welfare state in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom

Abstract

This book compares the process of postwar welfare state development in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom by analyzing the role of the labor union movement in the creation and expansion of social policies. It argues for a fundamental reinterpretation of the role of organized labor in welfare state development. It emphasizes that welfare state development is mainly about redistribution of income and risk within the worker category. Based on this premises, the book has set out to understand under what circumstances unions are willing to redistribute income and risk among workers. It argues that this depends foremost on their organizational blueprint.