The Politics of Ideas in Family Policy: Parties, Electoral Competition, and Shifting Norms

The chapter argues that a focus on cross-national explanations for change in family policies requires an examination not only of the political dynamics of ideational change but of the content of that change as well. The chapter addresses this gap, providing an overview of the politics of ideas in family policy, with a particular focus on variation in recent changes, based on a comparative study that includes welfare states in the Scandinavian countries, Continental Europe, the liberal countries, East Asia, and the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. It highlights how a relatively homogenous “old” politics of ideas has given way to a variety of “new” politics, which vary in terms of the extent and direction of policy change. On the basis of the findings, the authors conclude that a focus on the politics of ideas can help to understand cross-national differences in family policy reform.