Welfare Policies in the UNECE Region: Why so Different?

Alberto Alesina

No 2006_3, ECE Discussion Papers Series from UNECE

Abstract: This paper provides the text of the Gunnar Myrdal Lecture presented at the U.N. Palais des Nations in 2006. It provides an analysis of why different countries in the western world have chosen different models of the welfare state. It discusses why the American welfare system is less generous than the typical European system, emphasizing the causes and implications of these differences. The variations in welfare systems within western Europe -- the Nordic system, the Anglo-Saxon system, and the Continental and Mediterranean systems -- are compared in terms of their effectiveness, successes and failures.

Keywords: Welfare; Europe; Myrdal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E64 H10 H50 I30 P10 P50 P51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 11 pages
Date: 2006-03
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Published in UNECE Discussion Paper Series, No. 2006_3

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http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/oes/disc_papers/ECE_DP_2006-3.pdf First version, 2006 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ece:dispap:2006_3

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