In this introductory chapter we first review the standard bank–credit/capital markets dichotomy used to describe national financial systems. We examine the influence of this dichotomy in the... Show moreIn this introductory chapter we first review the standard bank–credit/capital markets dichotomy used to describe national financial systems. We examine the influence of this dichotomy in the comparative political economy (CPE) literature, which is the disciplinary focus of most of the contributors to this volume. We explain how effectively scholars of the political economy of finance explain the phenomenon of change and then briefly describe the market-based banking model in the context of the broader national financial systems. In the penultimate section, we consider the impact of market-based banking on the domestic political economy and the impact of the international financial crisis. Show less
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... Show moreThis 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. Show less
