Between Reforms and Birth Rates: Germany, Japan, and Family Policy Discourse

Toivonen, Tuukka and Seeleib-Kaiser, Martin. 2011. Between Reforms and Birth Rates: Germany, Japan, and Family Policy Discourse. Social Politics, 18(3), pp. 331-360. ISSN 1468-2893 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

This paper examines the development of employment-oriented family policy in Germany and Japan, two countries united by conservative welfare legacies and very low birthrates, through a close analysis of discourse. Why have recent reforms in Germany moved well beyond those in Japan despite remarkably similar “human capital” discourses? The relative strength of interpretative patterns—in this case, discursive patterns that successfully frame family policy reform as an economic imperative—and the role of employers are identified as critical explanatory factors. Further comparative attention is called to the role of the state as a guarantor of new family policy entitlements.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxr016

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Social, Therapeutic & Community Engagement (STaCS)

Dates:

DateEvent
2011Published

Item ID:

9400

Date Deposited:

31 Oct 2013 14:55

Last Modified:

15 Nov 2013 17:59

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/9400

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