The idea that countries and governments face a limited choice among competing growth models has received growing attention recently. Growth models allow for greater attention to the problems of inadequate demand and income distribution in post-Fordist societies than competing theoretical paradigms. To advance the debate on the political underpinning of growth models, we envision two consecutive panels. They bring together a number of scholars working on the emergence and outcomes of growth models in advanced capitalist economies.

Panel two examines comparatively different growth strategies and focuses on the practical capacities and constraints that generate or maintain growth models. Hassel/Palier identify four types of national growth strategies implemented in order to recover growth and create jobs in a period of deindustrialization, with different implications for social protection systems. Kohl/Spielau relate the distinction of export-led and construction-led growth models to the dominant politics exemplified by party manifestos. They suggest a clear association between the sectoral composition of countries and the salience of political stances towards trade and infrastructure. Fuller hypothesizes that pursuing a consumption-driven growth strategy is generally an unintended result of preferences for deep, deregulated, and innovative mortgage markets. Kneafsey/Regan are concerned with the different attitudes to corporate tax avoidance in Ireland. They argue that this is a form of "competitive nationalism" which is shaped by the role of the media.