Panel to be submitted to the CES Network: Industrial Relations, Skill Formation and Welfare State Policies, 2013 Conference in Amsterdam

Chairs:         Herbert Obinger (University of Bremen),

Klaus Petersen (University of Southern Denmark, Odense)

Discussants:                      Matthieu Leimgruber (University of Geneva):

Papers:

Peter Starke (University of Bremen): The military as social policy actor

Klaus Petersen (University of Southern Denmark): Guns and/or butter? The Danish case

Herbert Obinger (University of Bremen): Total War and Welfare State development

Pauli Kettunen: War and social policy development in Finland

Panel Description

Mass warfare may have important consequences for social policy-making. Not only does the destruction of war generate a need for state intervention (e.g. pensions for veterans and their dependants), but heightened uncertainty and solidarity among citizens can also affect redistributive preferences. Even in the preparatory phase of war, the mobilization of mass armies may inspire a focus on public health initiatives and education for the entire society. Moreover, indirect effects are conceivable, for example, via increased state capacities, democratization, the radicalization of the labor movement or feminism. However, despite a host of largely anecdotal evidence or case studies, systematic analyses of the effect of war on the development of welfare states and the underlying causal mechanisms are lacking. We invite scholars working on the issue from a comparative and theory-based perspective, either with quantitative or qualitative methods. This includes interdisciplinary approaches from political science, political economy, history, historical sociology and international relations.

This panel is designed as a joint venture together with the postgraduate/early-career panel on “War and Welfare” organized by Matthieu Leimgruber.