A Hybrid Classification Approach for Exploring Iraq’s Welfare Regime

Welfare regime classification has long been a dominant theory in social policy literature due to its empirical and policy implications. However, as this framework is increasingly applied to countries in the Global South, some scholars question whether all countries fit neatly into the three preestablished welfare regime categories. Recent publications advocate for the adoption of a 'hybrid' lens when analyzing welfare regimes, suggesting that different populations within a country may experience varying welfare regimes. Scholars have called for exploring welfare regimes in the Global South through a hybrid lens. This study contributes to this evolving discourse by exploring Iraq's welfare system and proposing a classification within the welfare regime framework. By using secondary data, we hypothesize that Iraq operates as a hybrid welfare regime, with different access to social protection mechanisms among the population. This research contributes to the literature on welfare regime classification by identifying Iraq's hybrid welfare regime.