
The transformation of night-watchman states into welfare states is one of the most notable societal developments in recent history In 1880 not a single country had a nationally compulsory social policy program A few decades later every single one of today's rich democracies had adopted programs covering all or almost all of the main risks people face old age sickness accident & unemployment These programs rapidly expanded in terms of range reach & resources Today all rich democracies cover all main risks for a vast majority of citizens with binding public or mandatory private programs Three aspects of this remarkable transformation are particularly fascinating the trend (the transformation to insurance states happened in all rich democracies); differences across countries (the generosity of social policy varies greatly across countries); & the dynamics of the process This book offers a theory that not only explains this remarkable transition but also explains cross-national differences & the role of crises for social policy development